Fire at the market in the Jaihun district

A fire broke out at the central market in the Jayhun district. Hundreds of entrepreneurs suffered losses. Many victims do not believe the official version.

According to official data, the fire occurred on the night of July 1 to 2 at the central market in the Jayhun district (formerly Kumsangir) of the Khatlon region. The fire covered 2,830 square meters, and most of the market was completely burned down.

According to the country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, when the report of the fire came in, firefighters and dozens of other officials were dispatched to the scene.

However, according to videos circulated on social media from the scene, by the time the firefighters arrived, the flames had already engulfed dozens of kiosks and pavilions.

Later, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan admitted that police officers also arrived at the scene very late.

“When the firefighters arrived at the scene, it was established that the fire had engulfed rows and trading points in the market covering 2,830 square meters, and there was a risk of its spread,” the statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan noted.

The video also clearly shows that the fire was so intense that thick smoke and flames were visible from several kilometers away. Firefighters and Ministry of Internal Affairs staff were unable to timely prevent the spread of the fire.

As of now, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and fire services have not completed the investigation into the incident. The causes of the fire have not yet been disclosed. The damage from the fire is still being assessed.

One of the victims reported that the distance from the central market to the State Fire Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan in the Jayhun district is less than 2 kilometers. The fire at the market started at 10:47 PM. At that time, the streets of the district were empty, and there was no traffic. To extinguish the fire in a timely manner, firefighters could have reached the scene in less than 10 minutes and prevented the flames from spreading throughout the market. However, this did not happen. Therefore, it is difficult to believe the version of the investigative authorities, which claim that “the fire was caused by a short circuit.”

The central market in the Jayhun district is managed by the State Union “Tajikpotrebsoyuz” of the Jayhun district.

This is not the first case of markets in the country being completely burned down. In recent years, dozens of fires have occurred at several markets in the country, resulting in entrepreneurs losing millions of somoni. In most cases, authorities state that fires occur at markets due to violations of fire safety regulations or due to short circuits, but in almost all cases, issues of compensation for losses to entrepreneurs and the resumption of their activities remain a subject of disagreement between the authorities and those affected by the fire. The entrepreneurs themselves in these cases do not rule out the possibility of intentional arson of the markets.