Residential Fire Triggers Concerns Over Home-Based Bitcoin Mining In Russia

In Gatchina, a city in Russia’s Leningrad region, a residential fire has raised concerns about the safety of home-based cryptocurrency mining. The fire, which was reportedly caused by a mining farm, led to the evacuation of 15 residents from an apartment building, as reported by local news portal 78.ru.

The blaze started in a one-bedroom apartment of an 8-storey building on Roschinskaya street. The kitchen and all the equipment set up there for cryptocurrency mining were destroyed in the fire.

Emergency services received the fire alert at 7:25 a.m., and the fire was extinguished within 10 minutes. Eight personnel and two units of equipment were involved in the firefighting operation, according to information from the Main Directorate of the Russian Emergencies Ministry for the Leningrad Region.

Thankfully, no injuries were reported in the incident. The exact causes and circumstances of the incident, as well as the extent of the damage, are currently under investigation.

The incident underscores the widespread issue of residential fires caused by crypto mining equipment. The electrical wiring in residential buildings is often not designed to handle the power demand of such equipment, leading to fires. This is not an isolated event; in February, a man in the Irkutsk region died in a fire caused by the ignition of cryptocurrency mining equipment.

These incidents serve as a stark reminder of the potential risks associated with home-based cryptocurrency mining operations.