Inter Fires are happening more and more often in Ukraine due to poor-quality equipment

Beware of dangerous appliances! The State Consumer Protection Inspectorate says that there are hundreds of low-quality household appliances on the shelves of supermarkets. They are causing homes to catch fire and people to die. Despite the ban, dangerous appliances are still being sold. Yevhen Onoprienko found out what kind of threat an ordinary electric kettle poses.

About one and a half thousand hryvnias for one kettle, and another eight hundred for the second. Because of the faulty equipment, Oleksandr became an almost regular customer at the supermarket, and then at the workshop.

Oleksandr, a buyer of household appliances:

- When I came to pick up the kettle, I was told that it was beyond repair. I naturally threw it on the floor behind the counter, and it naturally broke.

They broke down after several weeks of work. At least they didn't cause a fire, rescuers say. Every year, more than five hundred people die in fires caused by household electrical appliances.

Pavlo Ilyuchenko, Head of the Testing Department at the Civil Defense Research Institute:

- A very large number of fires are caused by refrigerators and television devices.

Electric kettles are also in the lead. We plan to test them for fire safety. We buy the cheapest one at the nearest supermarket.

Supermarket consultant:

- Every now and then. That is, there are times when they return them. All kettles are returned.

Next is the laboratory. We spend several hours there.

Pavlo Ilyuchenko, Head of the Testing Department at the Civil Defense Research Institute:

- Now let's test the kettle without water to see if the safety device will turn off. It is designed for the possibility that children might actually turn it on.

After standard tests, the kettle turns into a pile of plastic.

Pavlo Ilyuchenko, Head of the Testing Department at the Civil Defense Research Institute:

- This is not cheap material. It would be as if the spiral were hot, caught fire and went out.

And there are hundreds of such dangerous products on supermarket shelves, according to the State Consumer Inspection. Controllers ban them. But stores sell them anyway. That's why they are fined - some for 100 thousand hryvnias, some for 100 million.

Viktor Medvid, head of a consulting company:

- If a hundred million worth of products were found, we are actually saying that a third of the products are counterfeit.

One retail chain has already gone to court. They say that the State Consumer Inspection conducted the inspection incorrectly. The other is still silent. No comments. Experts advise buyers not to save money. They say that expensive equipment, if it breaks down, will at least not catch fire.