Deadly Ukraine Fire Likely Sparked by Rebels, Government Says

On Friday, a protester wrapped in a Ukrainian flag walks past a burning tent camp and a fire in the trade union building in Odessa. Reuters

Rebels Accidentally Dropped Molotov Cocktails on Roof, According to Preliminary Investigation 

By Philip Shishkin in Odessa, Ukraine and Lukas I. Alpert in Moscow, WSJ
Updated May 6, 2014 3:34 p.m. ET

A horrific fire that killed dozens in a hulking Odessa building where pro-Russian protesters had taken cover was likely sparked by rebels on the roof who accidentally dropped Molotov cocktails, according to a preliminary investigation by the government.

The finding is likely to further anger separatists in eastern Ukraine who view the new government in Kiev with deep suspicion. It comes as authorities said the situation on the border with Russia has grown increasingly tense, and France warned of the prospect of "chaos and civil war" if the presidential election set for later this month is upended.

The two-month-old government has been pressing a military offensive in the east to try to quell a pro-Russian insurgency, but is increasingly losing its grip in the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, which both border Russia. The unrest spread Friday to the Black Sea port of Odessa, which was hit by rioting that led to a fire that claimed 42 lives.

Serhiy Chebotar, Ukraine's deputy interior minister, who is now working in Odessa, said Tuesday that the fire began on the higher floors and quickly spread through the trade-union building, where pro-Russian protesters had taken refuge from a mob of pro-Kiev militants.

(More here.)