Ukraine is currently the epicenter of the heat – the country can only face the hot weather with difficulty as Russian troops bombard its electrical infrastructure. In the tropical “40s”, the electrical network is not enough for cooling equipment and air conditioners, and a Czech-made tram was also damaged – it burst into flames right on the track.
“At the corner of Černý Zaporozhtsi street in the Dneprovskiy district of Kyiv, the tram caught fire during the ride due to the heat,” the RegioNews agency reported on Saturday with reference to the local channels of the Telegram social network. “It can be seen from the published footage that there is a lot of smoke coming from the car and they are trying to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher.”
This heatwave doesn”t just melt cars, it also inflames trams. This video is from Kyiv. pic.twitter.com/59ot0sYPBh
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) July 14, 2024
This is a Czech-made Tatra T3 tram that runs in many cities not only in the Eastern Bloc; in Kyiv, it is by far the most numerous model.
Coincidentally in the center of the Ukrainian metropolis, three days later, another incident occurred with the T3 tram – it derailed. Fortunately, no injuries were reported on the relatively flat and clear section, according to the Kyiv24 portal.
Kyiv and Ukraine in general have been dealing with heat for many days, historical records have been set, and the heat will continue somewhere for a whole week. The energy network Ukrenergo is unable to cope with, so the operator always shuts off the current for a few hours in selected places, the newspaper Kyiv Independent reported. Sometimes it also restricts public transport, the Kyiv transport company announced on Telegram several times the suspension of trolleybuses and cable cars.
The Mistoznavstvo channel showed how urban surfaces can become hot. If there is no need for a shaded sidewalk or stone wall, it can heat up to sixty degrees Celsius, the pyrometer even measured the temperature of the benches at 65 degrees Celsius.
