BAKU, Azerbaijan

Araz News: A building fire on Tuesday ripped through a renovated building in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, killing at least 16, including at least one child, and injuring over 60 according to the Ministry of Health. The 16-storey apartment building was located on the famed ‘Azadliq’ (Freedom) street in the Binagadi district.

Azertag News Agency is reporting that roughly 30 ambulances are helping usher the injured to various hospitals throughout the city, the majority being treated in the toxicology wing at No.1 Clinic Medical Center.

According to RFL/RE, Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor-General Zakir Qaralov, who was at the scene, claimed that the fire spread quickly due to the “poor quality” of the panelling used on the facade. Azerbaijani news site News.Az writes that President Ilham Aliyev has taken person control of the investigation, which is currently being conducted by the “Grave Crimes” division of the Office of the Prosecutor General.

Baku has been growing at record pace, but a wave of building fires represent a darker side to rapid development. In an attempt to quickly change the appearance of many of the older Soviet-era buildings, city officials have authorized construction companies to only upgrade the facades of many of the decaying buildings, leaving the interiors in desperate need of work. Many complain, however, that the construction companies, rumored to be mainly of Chinese origin, use low quality and highly flammable panelling to cover the buildings.

Baku’s building fires have prompted a few people to upload videos of building residents hacking away at the panels using hammers and other tools in an attempt to put the poor quality of building materials of display.

This is the second building fire in Baku to occur this month. Fortunately, none were injured in the prior incident. Azerbaijani opposition site Meydan TV shared a photo on Facebook, showing a letter response from the Ministry of Emergency Situations to a civil complaint about the flammable paneling. The Ministry’s official response was to “not worry” and that the “material does not burn easily.”

Photos Courtesy Radio Free Liberty/Radio Europe. 

The following is a spectator video of the incident that shows the state of panic of nearby residents as well as the difficulty that service vehicles, including ambulances, have in reaching emergency situations in heavy Baku traffic.

Video courtesy of Trend News Agency