Two girls left alone perish in house fire

Two sisters aged nine months and, respectively, four years from Jeloboc village of Orhei district died from carbon monoxide poisoning in a house fire. According to the preliminary version, the fire was caused by a faulty lengthener. The girls were left without supervision. Local social assistant Angela Vartic has told Info-Prim Neo that the girl’s mother went to a neighbor for 5 minutes and found the room full of smoke when she returned. The woman’s cries were heard by a neighbor, who rushed to help, but the sisters couldn’t be saved. The girls’ father was at work when the tragedy struck. The sisters were always neat and tidy even if the mother of 22 and the father of 26 didn’t have a stable job and did occasional work. Contacted by Info-Prim Neo, press officer of the Civil Protection and Emergencies Service Diana Turcan said the tragedy happened on January 28. Allegedly, the fire caused by an improvised lengthener to which the TV set and another appliance were connected. There had been no flames. The TV set smoldered and emitted fumes with which the girls poisoned themselves. It seems that the woman left the TV set on when she went away. “The Civil Protection and Emergencies Service warns the parents and adults who look after minors not to live the children alone even for a while, especially in rooms where there are possible dangers. The cables, plugs and electrical appliances should be hidden so that the minors do not have access to them,” said Diana Turcan. According to the Civil Protection and Emergencies Service, this is the first case of fire that resulted in the death of children. Five children died in fires last year. A study made by the REPEMOL Project within the “A Danger-Free Home for Your Child” campaign, which analyzed the knowledge, attitudes and practices of persons who look after children under five, only 27.2% of the parents realize the risk of fires starting in the house.