THE GREATEST FIRE OF XX CENTURY

Policy-making organs projected grandiose plans for industrial production at the turn of the XX century. It was allowed by fire-prevention law to build construction with big zone and with concrete components with the second fire resistance degree. Their fire resistance degree needed to be not less than 0,25 h for covering, not less than 0,75 h for ceilings and not less than 2 h for columns in standard fire. For acceleration in the rates of building and saving purposes fundamentals of construction regulations were revised. The new term “conditional fire” was introduced and it allowed to build industrial buildings with metal structure with combustible heater in covering with no restrictions zone. Realization of these decisions led to big fires when buildings were built or taked-over. Increased fires couldn't stop construction conveyor and were regarded as hard but inevitable losses. In spite of objections of fire services and correspondence of several years' standing among Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Committee for Construction (Rosstroy) and leading party bodies cardinal decisions were not adopted. And only the fire at the engine plant of the KamAZ PLC in April 1993 that almost destroyed the building 420,000 m2 in area set revising of the decisions on lowering of fire-prevention requirements made previously. On examination of results of this fire, the government panel admitted that it is impossible to successfully extinguish a fire at the buildings of metal constructions with combustible warmth-keeping jackets in coating. They also noted that the combustible warmthkeeping jackets are to be replaced by the incombustible ones in filler structures, first of all, at the atomic power stations. As a result, the recommendations on fire safety of similar buildings were developed and implemented. The buildings made of constructions mentioned above are raised in Russia and in the countries of the Commonwealth and count tens millions square meters. They are still in use and isolated fires emerge there. The Emercom established in 2012 should take this into account.