‘There’s still extensive work ahead’: Ministry of Emergency Situations employee on the prospects of extinguishing the ‘Malatia Mall’ fire

‘There’s still extensive work ahead.’ This was stated by an employee of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) during a press conference while responding to the question of whether the fire could be extinguished today.

‘The firefighters are making significant efforts to extinguish the fire. At this moment, there are areas where it is possible to declare the fire contained, but appropriate measures are needed for that,’ emphasized the MES employee.

Regarding the presence of many people in civilian clothing entering the ‘Malatia Mall’ area and removing various items, he replied, ‘The areas where it is possible to organize evacuation processes are being secured by the firefighters, and they are removing their belongings to prevent further spread of the fire.’

Earlier, NEWS.am reported that today, on August 24, at 15:47, a call was received by the ‘911’ service reporting a fire in the building of ‘Malatia Mall’ located on Sebastia Street, Yerevan. There are injured individuals, with the number reaching 10 according to the latest data, all of whom have been discharged.

Samvel Aleksanyan, the owner of ‘Malatia Mall’ and a well-known businessman, is also on-site. Citizens, likely employees of ‘Malatia Mall’, are taking risks by bringing items suitable for sale out of the building, including furniture, household appliances, bicycles, and furniture materials.

19 fire engines, two aerial ladders, and special rescue teams from the MES’s Rapid Response Division of Yerevan have been dispatched to the scene under a ‘Level 2’ alarm due to the complexity of the fire. Additionally, crisis management teams and a psychological support instructive team from the National Center for Crisis Management are also present on-site.

At 16:35, the complexity of the fire incident was raised to a ‘Level 3’ alert. Information regarding firefighting operations is being regularly reported to the Minister of Emergency Situations, who has visited the site.