Four Die in Baku Apartment Fire Amid String of Recent Events

A dreadful apartment fire in Baku’s Lokbatan area took the lives of four people, counting two young kids, on the night of December 5th. Sadly, this is the third major fire or explosion in the city in just two weeks.

What Happened in Lokbatan

The fire broke out in an apartment on the seventh floor of a nine-story building in the Qobu Park-1 complex. The victims were Zulfiyya Yusifova (27), originally from Gadabay; her son, Yusif (9); her daughter, Maryam (6); and a neighbor, Yusif Huseynov, who tried to save them.

Zulfiyya, whose husband is a former displaced person from Fuzuli, tried to save her children, but they all died from breathing in too much smoke. Her husband was also affected by the smoke but was saved and is now in the hospital in moderately serious condition.

It looks like the fire was started by a heating device that blew up in the apartment. Four other people were also taken to the hospital because they breathed in smoke.

What Happens Next

The Prosecutor General's Office is investigating the incident as a criminal case, looking into possible charges of causing death through carelessness and violating fire safety rules.

Other Incidents in Baku

Before the Lokbatan fire, there were two other bad incidents. On November 21st, a fire in a building on Mirali Seyidov Street killed three people and hurt twenty others from smoke, which led to one arrest. On November 24th, an explosion at the “AFEN Plaza” hurt five people, but the cause hasn't been shared.

Fires Still Burning in Kalbajar and Lachin

Firefighters are still working to put out big fires in the Kalbajar and Lachin areas that started on November 28th. The fire started near the village of Galaboynu in Kalbajar and spread toward Lachin and has been burning for eight days.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations is using helicopters to help put out the fire. Strong winds and the difficult mountain area are making it hard to stop the fire. Crews from the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Internal Affairs are working in the pasture and grassland areas around the villages of Qalaboynu, Garakhanchalli, Shakaram, and Chovdar.