On the night of 12 April, a fire broke out in a flat on the 15th floor of a residential building on Turkestan Street in the Yesil district of Astana. A woman was rescued from the burning flat; she suffered serious burns. At the scene of the fire, rescuers discovered the bodies of three minors. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
WHAT HAPPENED
According to the Astana Department for Emergency Situations (DES), a report of the fire was received at the 112 control centre. Responding units found the flat openly burning across its entire area.
The flat was secured by a metal door with two locks, which rescuers forced open using tools.
"A woman was rescued from the burning flat with burns and handed over to an ambulance team, and she was hospitalised in Multidisciplinary City Hospital No. 1. The bodies of three minors were found at the scene of the fire," said Oмиржан Тукушев, Deputy Head of the Astana DES.
CONDITION OF THE VICTIM
According to the Astana Public Health Department, the patient is currently in the intensive care unit. Her condition is assessed as serious. The victim has been diagnosed with 2nd to 3rd degree burn shock.
HOW THE EVACUATION PROCEEDED
Rescuers evacuated around 20 people from the upper floors, and approximately another 40 residents left the building on their own.
The fire alarm and warning system activated, and the lifts automatically descended to the ground floor. Police officers and rescuers went from flat to flat, warning residents of the need for an urgent evacuation.
One resident of the building, who evacuated during the fire, told Ulysmedia.kz that the alarm in the residential complex had gone off previously.
"The danger alarm goes off very often in our residential complex, saying 'evacuate the premises', and most residents don't react to it, including me. I only found out it was serious by chance from a chat group. This alarm goes off very often because it also reacts to minor incidents. For example, if someone left a pan on the stove too long or burned adyraspan [a plant used for smudging]. When I left my flat, the smoke was already on the 18th floor landing. When I went down the fire escape, the firefighters were already there, but that was more than 20 minutes after the fire started," he said.
WHAT DIFFICULTIES AROSE
As reported by the DES, the entrance to the courtyard was blocked by metal gates, and the area was cluttered with cars. This hampered the access of emergency services to the scene.
Some eyewitnesses also pointed to difficult access for fire engines. According to them, one car was parked at the entrance, meaning it took firefighters about 20 minutes to gain access to the building.
The Astana Police Department (PD) reported that the drivers were given a preventive talk and reminded of the need to observe parking rules, especially in emergency situations.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE INVESTIGATION
A pre-trial investigation has been launched into the fire. Expert examinations have been ordered to determine the cause of the fire and all the circumstances surrounding the incident.