Armenia official on Yerevan mall fire: Success of our work is primarily due to heroic work by our firefighters

We are in the 21st century, but the equipment we have is 20th-century. The Minister of Emergency Situations of Armenia, Feliks Tsolakyan, on Sunday told this to reporters in Gyumri.

“That is, the equipment we have corresponds to the conditions of [capital city] Yerevan that used to be,” the minister added, in particular. “In case of a major disaster, complications will arise.

“The success of our current work is primarily due to the heroic work by our firefighters.”

Tsolakyan noted that around 100 fires are recorded daily in Armenia, and in all cases, firefighters are able to either contain or extinguish these fires. 

The minister said firefighting is sometimes hampered also by the violation of urban planning norms, and this was the case with Malatia Mall, too. In his words, this building could not be approached to from various sides by vehicles.

As reported earlier, the fire at Malatia Mall has been extinguished Sunday at 1:53pm.

The fire was contained at dawn.

On Saturday at 3:47pm, the 911 emergency hotline received a call informing that a fire had broken out at Malatia Mall.

The seven people injured in the fire were taken to hospitals, where they received medical treatment and were discharged.

Late in the evening, Emergency Situations Minister Feliks Tsolakyan said 22 fire trucks were taking part in the firefighting there.

“There are 420 firefighters involved in the work, whose work I consider heroic,” he added. “When you look at the faces of the firefighters coming out of the fire, you will realize what this is all about.”