A fire broke out in a two-story residence for the elderly in Kharkiv on Jan. 21, killing at least 15 residents, whose bodies were discovered about 4 p.m.
Nine more people were hospitalized, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, which called it a “state-level emergency.” Around 33 elderly people were inside the building at the time of the fire.
The cause of the blaze is unknown.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called the deaths a “terrible tragedy” and ordered the Cabinet of Ministers to set up a special commission to get to the bottom of the situation. He tasked the Minister of Internal Affairs with opening a criminal investigation into the deadly conflagration.
This is the deadliest building fire in Ukraine since the Trade Unions House fire in Odesa that killed 42 people in 2014.
