‘They poisoned them, they were dead, then poured the gasoline’ - Parents of soldier who died in fire

The parents of Rostom Asryan, who died in a fire in the engineering troops’ barracks, do not believe the official version regarding the boys' deaths. ‘Hraparak’ talked to Rostom Asryan's parents, residents of the village of Hovbards in Stepanavan, who buried their son yesterday.

Fire Department Chief Arsen Saroyan stated on Public Television that on January 19, a fire broke out in the barracks of the engineering troop unit of the Ministry of Defense where 21 people were present, 14 of whom were found lying on their beds.

Rostom’s father, Artak, mentioned that he recognized his son from his tattoos and provided a DNA sample as required. ‘Four out of five tattoos were visible. If it weren’t for the tattoos, I wouldn’t have recognized him. The child was unrecognizable. They were sleeping. They didn’t get up from their beds. They were removed from their sleeping positions. They poisoned them; they were dead, then they poured the gasoline,’ he stated.

Rostom’s mother, Vard Asryan, said they believe the children were sleeping but do not accept the version involving pouring gasoline. ‘We live in the village. Let me tell you something simple. If the stove burns during the day and is extinguished in the evening, I bring the ashes a bit earlier, throw in a couple of pieces of paper and wood, even thin ones, it’s impossible that this wouldn’t catch fire. No one lights a stove with gasoline, especially with a 5-liter tank. Everyone knows it's dangerous for life, and he was an adult man, an officer,’ she added.

Vard Asryan recounted that her son was found ‘lying down in boots.’ ‘The stove caught fire, the windows, which were many in that room, were broken, and the captain yelled, “What kind of state do you have to be in to not wake up from your sleeping place?” Our children were detached; they simply put them to sleep. One would have called out to the others, someone would have thrown their cloth into the fire. How could 15-18 healthy, young men sleep in that room?’

She noted that her son disliked wearing ‘boots’, saying they hurt his feet and tired him, and he tried to wear them as little as possible. The last time she spoke to her son was on the evening of the tragedy at 10 PM. Rostom Asryan was repairing vehicles in his unit and even consulted his father about fixing various cars. The family maintained a strong connection with their son. During his year of service, they visited him in his 2-room home 8-10 times.

Rostom’s mother added: ‘It was an old house, the water and toilet were outside. Hygiene was out of the question. They cooked for themselves. I visited in the autumn, I don’t remember where the stove was placed, yes, it seems it was near the door. It was an old wooden house. Even if you pushed with your shoulder, something would break. Perhaps I couldn’t break the door alone, but a few people could certainly manage.’

It should be noted that on January 19, around 01:30, a fire broke out in the barracks of the engineering troop unit located in the territory of the village of Azat in Gegharkunik province. As a result of the fire, 15 soldiers died, and 7 were injured, four of whom were discharged after receiving medical assistance, while three were transferred to Yerevan’s National Burn Center. Two of them are in serious condition.

Immediately after the incident, the commander of the 2nd Army Corps and other high-ranking military officials were dismissed from their posts.