A man aged 53 and a 60-year-old woman were killed in a fire in their house in Ocnita town in the morning of March 20. The head of the Ocnita Emergencies Section Alexandru Vacari has told IPN that the fire was allegedly caused by a smoldering cigarette.

The firefighters were called by neighbors at about 6am. The fire was extinguished in approximately half an hour. The house that was 18 square meters in area was destroyed by fire, while the two persons who were inside could not be saved.

The Civil Protection and Emergencies Service urges observing the anti-fire rules so as to avoid fires with serious consequences. The 345 fires that happened in Moldova so far this year resulted in 52 deaths.