The over 1,500 fires that occurred in Moldova so far this year claimed 216 lives. Among the most often causes of death were the mistakes made in the building sector and the improper installation and use of heaters and heating systems, IPN reports.

In a meeting of the Commission for Emergencies called by Prime Minister Ion Chicu in the morning of December 24, the officials in charge underlined the necessity of adjusting the national legal framework so as to restrict the use of autonomous heating systems in blocks of flats.

Premier Chicu instructed the General Inspectorate for Emergencies to step up communication and cooperation with the local public authorities and sector police officers so as to inform the people about the dangers faced when using faulty heaters and heating systems and to prevent fires.

In the meeting, it was noted that 232 people died in the road accidents that happened this year. Also, thousands of people suffered different injuries. Among the most frequent violations were speeding, not giving of way and driving under the influence.

In another development, Minister of Economy and Infrastructure Anatol Usatyi asked to declare an early alert situation so as to enable the national energy operator to initiate negotiations with natural gas suppliers if the supply of gas to Moldova based on two existing scenarios is not possible, given the signing of the Commitment with the EBRD for providing a guarantee of US$ 50 million.

In this connection, Anatol Usatyi and the president of Moldovagaz Vadim Ceban expressed their confidence that the use of this instrument will not be necessary as the traditional gas supply scenario will most probably work following the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

The Commission decided to allocate 115,000 lei for reconstructing a home that was destroyed by fire in Nișcani village of Călărași district, 140,300 lei to the Nisporeni District Council for creating and maintaining sanitary filters to fight the African swine fever and 186,400 lei for repairing the roof of the home of culture in Larga village, which was damaged by high winds this summer.