The family affected by a fire on 18 April in the «Uly dala» microdistrict in Taraz denies the claim that their children were saved by a 10th-grade pupil from School No. 54. According to them, they evacuated the children from the burning flat themselves. Meanwhile, the schoolboy was honoured as a hero — he was awarded by the akim of the Zhambyl region, Yerbol Karashukeyev, and later the young man, along with his father, took part in a television show on the «Kazakhstan» channel.
According to Ratel.kz, the fire occurred in a flat on the fourth floor of a five-storey building. According to the Department of Emergency Situations of the Zhambyl region, the blaze was classified as highly dangerous. Twenty people and 17 units of equipment fought the fire. It took 24 minutes to extinguish.
At the time of the fire, there were five people in the flat: the owner with her two children and father-in-law, and a third child, who was the son of her sister-in-law.
Shortly after the incident, the Instagram page «Kris.p.taraz» published a video of the fire, claiming that a schoolboy, Kydyraly Kyzdarbek, had carried two children out of the burning flat, one of whom was in a besik (national cradle). The post received more than 23,000 likes and over 900 comments.
Following this, the regional akim awarded the schoolboy a laptop and a letter of thanks, calling his bravery an example for everyone. Later, Kydyraly received gifts at an electronics store, and then appeared on the talk show «Zhaqsylyq zasa».
In various interviews, the young man described his role in the rescue differently. In one video, he claimed:
«I went up, opened the door, there was smoke. I went into the room, my knee hit the besik. I carried it out with the baby. I went in again, caught a child who was running around. The third time I went in and led the mother out».
On the talk show, he stated that he found the second child by stepping on him in the smoke-filled flat.
However, the family of the fire victims insists that this story is fabricated. They saved the children themselves. The owner's father-in-law, Omirbek Mussabayev, recounted:
«I took the besik in one arm and my grandson in the other and started going down. My daughter-in-law also left the flat. Someone in the stairwell took the besik with the baby from me. My older grandson ran out earlier».
Footage from a camera near the entrance confirms that the children exit without the schoolboy's assistance, and the besik is carried out by another person. Although the video shows Kydyraly running into the entrance and carrying a child out, according to the victims, this child is not from their family.
«Why did none of the authorities come to us to find out what happened and whether we needed help? We were left alone with our trouble, while someone else receives awards. Moreover, if the investigation determines that the fire started in our flat, we will also be fined», says the owner.
The regional Department of Emergency Situations confirmed: if the investigation determines that the fire started in their flat, the owner faces a fine of up to 5 MRP (19,660 tenge), and if damage exceeds 50 MRP, up to 10 MRP (39,320 tenge).
The causes of the fire have not yet been established. Omirkhan Mussabayev believes the source was on an unglazed balcony, where there was no electrical wiring, only boxes and children's clothes. He suggests the fire may have spread from outside due to the wind.
After media reports, Kydyraly's parents met with the victims. According to witnesses, the schoolboy initially admitted that he did not enter the flat, but stood at the door, but later repeated his original version. The meeting ended in a conflict due to the rudeness of the schoolboy's relative.
The affected family continue to restore their burnt flat on their own. According to them, the residents of the lower floors, whose flats were flooded with water during the firefighting, have not made any claims.