Fires are burning in the Sverdlovsk region, with the largest blaze breaking out on April 25 in Sosva, a settlement 260 km north of Yekaterinburg. The village, home to about 7,000 people, faced catastrophic damage as flames swept through it and swallowed key facilities along the central thoroughfare.
Eyewitnesses reported that the fire destroyed roughly half of Sosva. A school, a hospital, a correctional facility, and several other structures along the main street were consumed by the flames. The latest assessments indicated that 92 houses were burned and more than 2,000 square meters were engulfed by fire in Sosva.
According to Svetlana Mishina, a local resident interviewed for socialbites.ca, the blaze appeared to originate at one of the village’s enterprises, with the sawmill cited as a possible source. She described the scene: the fire had already claimed many houses, shops, schools, and hospital offices, and although a helicopter briefly appeared, it vanished from sight as the situation escalated. “The school was saved, but the fire is five blocks from my location”, Mishina said.
Although the blaze began in daylight, the local emergency response only escalated to an emergency regime at 21:00 Sverdlovsk time (19:00 Moscow time). By that hour, about 50 buildings were already caught in the flames. The Regional Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that the fire spread from wood waste into neighboring buildings, aided by strong winds and dry grass that carried the flames farther than expected.
The district prosecutor’s office in Sverdlovsk approved the sawmill version of events, while investigators continued to determine the exact cause of the fire.
Comments on social media and in local press suggested that many residents believed careless handling of dry grass amid unusually hot April weather was a contributing factor, with temperatures rising more than 20 degrees Celsius in recent days in the region.
Initial response included a team of 60 people and 14 units of equipment, including a Mi-8 helicopter. By dusk, most emergency forces withdrew to Sosva. Current reports indicate that about 120 people and 33 units are involved in extinguishing efforts, with two fire trains, a Ministry of Emergencies helicopter, and units from the Russian Guard among the responders.
On the grounds of the village stood a medical correctional institution number 23, which housed HIV patients. Local residents said the facility was nearly destroyed. Alexander Levchenko, head of the regional GUFSIN press service, later stated that 240 inmates were released from the institution. He described conditions inside the complex, noting two hospitals within the grounds that cared for tuberculosis patients. He explained that about 200 men and several dozen women were held there. A temporary women’s section had been established in the women’s colony when the facility housed men previously, he added.
At about 23:00 Moscow time, the Sverdlovsk Department of the Ministry of Emergencies reported the discovery of a deceased person during firefighting operations. The rapid spread of the blaze was attributed to the abundance of dry vegetation, winds reaching 20 meters per second, and the distance from reliable water sources. To supply water to the fire zone, crews laid two kilometers of main lines from the Sosva River. Officials emphasized that extinguishing efforts in Sosva would continue without pause throughout the night.
Witnesses described Sosva as nearly vanished as flames raged, though residents noted that the wind had subsided and the spread of the fire had slowed. Those displaced found temporary shelter in local schools, and village leadership planned a meeting with residents the following morning to address immediate needs and assign aid. The village head, Gennady Makarov, pledged to assess each resident’s situation by name and arrange assistance accordingly, with helicopters and fire trucks planned to resume flight operations the next day.
Meanwhile, Sverdlovsk regional authorities directed all health system resources to be ready for deployment if required. Governor Evgeny Kuyvashev ordered mobilization of health services and signaled that financial support for fire victims would be resolved promptly as part of ongoing relief efforts.