MOSCOW, March 17 (RIA Novosti) – Three little girls were killed and the fourth girl was injured in a fire that broke out in a village house in southern Russia’s Saratov Region, the regional Emergences Center reported on Sunday.

The fire started early on Sunday in a house in the village of Bykov-Otrog in the region’s Balakovo district.

“As a result of smoke inhalation, three girls born in 2003, 2009 and 2011 died. The girl born in 2000 was taken to the city hospital,” the Emergencies Center said, without giving any information about the girls’ parents.

Negligence, careless smoking and reluctance to comply with fire safety rules are the most frequent causes of residential building fires across Russia. The number of house fires has risen dramatically in the country after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

What to do during a fire or explosion emergency situation when in Russia

Fire safety came into the spotlight in Russia in recent years after a number of high-profile blazes. Over 150 people were killed in a fire at a nightclub in the Urals in December 2009.

More than 115,000 fires broke out in Russia in January-September 2012 alone, killing over 7,700 people and causing total damage of over 10 billion rubles ($3.3 billion), according to data of Russia’s Emergencies Ministry.

Some 12,000 people died in fires across Russia in 2011, according to Emergencies Ministry figures. The United States, with a population over twice as large, saw around five times fewer fire-related fatalities.