Russian Bitcoin miner sustains injuries as machines caught fire

TL:DR Breakdown

• A Bitcoin miner was hospitalized yesterday after his apartment got ablaze.
• The fire stemmed from his poorly managed mining farm in his home.

A recent publication by a Russian news outlet, 78.ru, informed about a local Bitcoin miner hospitalized on Tuesday after his apartment got ablaze because of his ill-managed mining farm, which was established right in his home. Although this is a sad development, it equally comes as a swift reminder for other digital currency miners to observe adequate precautionary measures to avoid a similar casualty. 

Bitcoin miner hospitalized in Russia

According to the report, which cited the country’s Ministry of Emergencies, the incident occurred yesterday at the Petrogradsky district of St. Petersburg. The 35 years old Russian Bitcoin miner assembled the machines to mine the cryptocurrency right from his seven-bedroom apartment. The machines caught fire, burned properties in the apartment as the unnamed victim failed to provide an adequate cooling system for the farm. 

Consequently, he sustained injuries on the back, neck, and hands. According to the report, putting out the fire was a 40-minute task for about 16 firefighters and four fire engines. Several cases like this were witnessed in the country lately. Last year, a mining farm operated from a car garage got ablaze and damaged some other properties nearby. In February this year, some apartments were destroyed in the east of Russia, which also related to ill-managed mining farms.

A Precautionary measure for Bitcoin miners

Mining equipment, especially ASICs, are heavy and powerful machines that require massive amounts of energy to function. As such, a machine can easily heat up without a proper cooling system – imagine running an army of those in a poorly-ventilation space. The development today comes as a reminder of the need to check mining farms regularly and properly. Miners have to ensure that their cooling systems are sufficient. It’s also not advisable to deploy many of these machines in the home, especially in a room with poor ventilation.