A man aged 65 perished in a house fire on Cornesti St in Chisinau in the morning of March 17. The firefighters were alerted by neighbors, who smelt smoke.

The fire started in a room of a private house. It destroyed almost 4 square meters of the houses. Press officer of the Civil Protection and Emergencies Service Diana Turcan said careless smoking is the preliminary cause of fire.

The fire was localized in a short period of time. The firemen found the dead body of the 65-year-old owner in one of the rooms. According to the preliminary reports, the man lived alone and was confined to bed. He died after being poisoned by fumes.

The circumstances and exact cause of the fire are yet to be established. According to the Civil Protection and Emergencies Service, the 337 fires that occurred in Moldova so far this year claimed 45 lives.