The organization Public Consumer Initiative submitted a formal request to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation, seeking unscheduled inspections of warehouses owned by major marketplaces, including Wildberries and Ozon, due to concerns about fire safety. This development was reported by Vedomosti, which highlighted the appeal and its context.
Oleg Pavlov, head of the initiative, indicated that in December 2023 Wildberries received six and a half times more warnings from the emergency service than in the prior eleven months, while Ozon saw a sixteenfold increase in warnings compared to the previous ten months. The majority of cited violations pertain to the storage of pyrotechnic goods alongside materials that are highly flammable. In addition, the organization asked the ministry to consider lifting or relaxing the moratorium on routine business inspections that remains in force through the end of 2024 to allow for targeted oversight.
Representatives from Wildberries and Ozon have stated they are ready to demonstrate the effectiveness of their fire safety systems at their warehouses if inspections are conducted. They also report ongoing enhancements to fire safety measures and ongoing internal audits. A fire at a Wildberries warehouse in the Pushkinsky district of St. Petersburg on the morning of January 13, 2024 damaged an area of about 70,000 square meters, though no injuries were reported. A similar, large-scale warehouse fire occurred in August 2022 at an Ozon facility in the Moscow region, underscoring persistent risk in the sector.
Wildberries’ chief executive officer, Tatyana Bakalchuk, commented on the incident in St. Petersburg and thanked partners, vendors, and customers for their support. She stressed that safety and human life remained the highest priority for the company, noting the considerable challenge this event poses for her personally and for the whole organization as they move forward with safety improvements and stakeholder reassurance.
Historical data on fires shows that, globally, fires burn areas that can surpass the size of India each year. This stark fact underscores the importance of robust fire protection programs, independent audits, and continuous improvements in storage and handling practices for large-scale e-commerce logistics hubs around the world.