The key facts
- Maria Shurochkina sustained first- and second-degree burns in a fire in a Moscow apartment
- The neighbor said the champion was conscious when the ambulance brought her out
- According to preliminary data, the fire may have started while the bio-fireplace was being refueled
Fire in a Moscow apartment
Two-time Olympic champion in synchronized swimming Maria Shurochkina, the younger sister of singer Nyusha, was injured in a fire in an apartment in Moscow. According to preliminary data, the fire may have been caused by a bio-fireplace: the 31-year-old athlete's clothing caught fire when she was trying to refill the device with fuel. Smoke spread through the stairwell, and neighbors heard cries for help during the evacuation — they found Shurochkina on the stairs and called an ambulance.
A neighbor's account of the rescue
Life.ru spoke with the athlete's neighbor, who described how the rescue unfolded. According to her, the champion was running around the floor calling for help, and five fire trucks arrived at the building at once — the fire was quickly extinguished. The woman managed to look into the apartment before rescuers arrived: the sofa was burning. However, she did not venture to name the source of the fire. 'She was taken away conscious. The ambulance brought her out. <...> The flesh was literally sticking out, the skin was already gone, right here on her arms. She must have tried to put it out herself,' the neighbor said.
The victim's condition
Shurochkina sustained first- and second-degree burns. She was initially hospitalized in fair condition, but later reports emerged of the Olympic champion's health deteriorating. The final cause of the fire has not been confirmed in publications: the bio-fireplace version is presented as preliminary, and the neighbor herself refrained from speculating about the source of the fire.
