A fire that broke out on Nizami Street in central Baku was caused by a short circuit triggered by accumulated dried grease, the Nargis Foundation said in a statement regarding the incident at the Soyuq əllər, isti ürək (“Cold Hands, Warm Heart”) charity fair on Fountain Square, Oxu.Az reports.
According to the foundation, the short circuit led to a localized ignition point.
“When an employee on site attempted to extinguish the area with water, the reaction between the water and hot grease intensified the flame, causing open fire,” the statement said.
Security and technical control teams contained the blaze within 15 minutes, preventing it from spreading to nearby pavilions. No other sections of the fair were threatened.
Rapid evacuation and emergency response
Fair security staff, who operate on a 24/7 basis, immediately used fire extinguishers. Emergency crews from the State Fire Protection Service arrived shortly thereafter.
Visitors were safely evacuated within five minutes, the foundation noted.
An investigation into the cause of the incident is ongoing, and further updates – including information on the fair’s operating schedule – will be provided once the review is complete.
One person hospitalized with smoke inhalation
TƏBİB, the national medical emergency network, reported that one man suffered smoke inhalation.
At 18:50, an ambulance team was dispatched to the scene, where medical workers provided urgent care before transferring the victim to the toxicology department of the Clinical Medical Center.
