The Ministry of Emergency Situations reminds you! Be careful with fire when tidying up your yard!

Annually, with the onset of spring, people begin to tidy up their adjacent territories and land plots by burning dry vegetation and last year's foliage. In this regard, there are a number of danger factors – the occurrence of fires in natural ecosystems, the spread of fire to settlements, which contributes to the establishment of a fire-hazardous period. Year after year, rescuers continue to respond to thousands of fires related to seasonal burning.

As of March 26, 2025, 2600 cases of grass and shrub fires covering an area of 556.5 hectares have been recorded in the republic (for the same period in 2024, there were 492 cases covering an area of 50 hectares), and there were also 190 forest fires covering an area of 218.9 hectares (for the same period in 2024, there were 9 forest fires covering an area of 4.9 hectares).

It should be noted that in Belarus, according to Article 16.40 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, for illegal burning of dry vegetation, standing crops, as well as stubble and post-harvest residues in fields, or failure to take measures to extinguish fires, guilty persons are brought to administrative responsibility in the form of a fine ranging from 10 to 30 basic units. In accordance with Article 16.41, setting fires in prohibited places is punishable by a fine of up to 12 basic units. In case of causing damage in an especially large amount, criminal liability arises.

If you still decide to light a fire on your property, do not neglect simple safety precautions.

When choosing methods for disposing of dry vegetation and post-harvest residues, the following conditions must be met:

– fires should be lit only if citizens ensure continuous visual control over the burning and smoldering process;

– places for lighting fires must be cleared of combustible substances and materials, and dry vegetation. It is recommended to dig a trench around the fire site or light it in a special non-combustible container.

– extinguishing means must be readily available, including primary fire extinguishing equipment, containers with loose materials, etc.;

– the burning and smoldering process must be carried out in such a way that flames and sparks do not fall on combustible elements of buildings, outbuildings, and structures, or on stored combustible substances and materials. The safe distance is determined by the citizen independently based on the size of the bonfire, the type of combustible materials, and weather conditions;

– upon completion of the burning process, the remnants of burning (smoldering) materials must be extinguished until smoldering completely ceases.

It is prohibited:

– to burn standing dry vegetation on adjacent territories, land plots provided for collective gardening or dacha construction;

– to light bonfires on peat soils, under tree crowns;

– to use flammable and combustible liquids to ignite bonfires and coals.

Every year, EMERCOM employees identify careless handling of fire by citizens and burning of dry vegetation, i.e., the human factor, as the main causes of fires in natural ecosystems. Most often, victims of such fires are pensioners tidying up their plots.