A total of 311 people were killed and 165 injured in fires in Ukraine in the first months of 2018, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) has reported.

"In winter, the number of tragic cases in the residential sector is steadily growing, and daily statistics are horrifying by the number of people killed in a fire. On February 6 alone, fires killed 11 people at once," the SESU's press service reported on Thursday.

According to firefighters, it is the personal negligence of Ukrainians that is the main cause of fires and deaths of people.

"Citizens continue to heat their homes, often ignoring fire safety rules, smoke in rooms and overload the electricity network, including heaters and defective household appliances," the report says.

According to statistics, most often the victims of fires are elderly people, large families, and citizens who found themselves in difficult living conditions.