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Major fire, which broke out on Sunday in Yerevan center, would have been neutralized earlier, if there were no obstructing circumstances, Head of Crisis Management Center of RA Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES), Colonel Hovhannes Khangeldyan told Panorama.am

“We would have opened 5-6 locations for extinguishing, instead of 2-3 to encircle the fire focus, which we couldn’t manage,” Khangeldyan said, adding the wind also contributed to the fire to spread quickly.

According to the information, the fire, occurred on the seventh ground of a building located on Tigran Mets avenue, was heavily extinguished due to the hole in front of Erebouni Hotel, a road, where the fire trucks were supposed to pass and approach the building. Avoiding a possible collapse of the building, firefighters were instructed to work from a distance.

To him, it is still unclear who and for what reason had instructed to dig the hole. Khangeldyan next referred to dozens of buildings and suburbs in Yerevan, where firefighters may face obstructions in case a fire erupts.

“I reiterate that the current Armenian urban construction trends will bring new surprises in terms of fire security,” one of Yerevan architects wrote referring to the same case.
Khangeldyan voiced concern over fire security and safety in the old neighborhoods of Yerevan, namely Kond and Sari Tagh districts.

“Unfortunately, the problem exists, No regulation and norm is followed in Kond and Sari Tagh districts, where due to narrow streets fire engines may reach without any possibility to get out,” Khangeldyan noted.

To him, new buildings are equipped with extinguishers and relevant conditions for adhering to safety rules, otherwise those are not exploited.

To note, several new buildings in the center of Yerevan lack extinguishers, while to reach the yard of a building on Arame Street, one should enter through a door depicted below. That is to say, in case of a fire, no equipment and firefighters may provide remedies.

Drones of the Ministry of Emergency Situations were touched upon at the discussion. As noted, the equipment may identify the level and volumes of the fire in multistory buildings.

MES representative informed, they are working toward finding partners and ways for obtaining the corresponding equipment.

“By the decree of the minister, Crisis Management Center of RA Ministry of Emergency Situations has announced 4 positions for a group of people specialized in drones. We have been looking for partners since the previous year, which means we are actively addressing the issue,” concluded Khangeldyan.