"He was a friend, a rescuer, a commander." Colleagues of the deceased firefighter spoke about him.

"He was a friend, a rescuer, a commander." Colleagues of a deceased firefighter spoke about him.

33-year-old Captain Boburmirzo Pardaev, an employee of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Uzbekistan, died on August 15 from injuries sustained while extinguishing a fire in a house in the Kuyi Darkhon mahalla in the Uchtepa district of Tashkent. A Gazeta correspondent spoke with the rescuer's colleagues, who said that Boburmirzo Pardaev had repeatedly participated in the response to major emergencies, including the dam breach in Sardoba, the gas leak in Baysun, and the earthquake in Turkey.

Farkhod Solikhov, the owner of the house:

There were seven people in the house: my parents, younger brother, and children. I was on the second floor. Around 3:30 AM, noticing the fire, I took the children out into the yard and woke up those downstairs. It turned out that my mother had already called the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Rescuers arrived around 3:46 AM.

We propped a ladder against the wall of our yard and began moving toward our neighbors. Emergency services and neighbors helped us, and a large crowd gathered.

I believe the fire was caused by a short circuit in the wire running from the street pole to our yard. Since the fire started at the gate, three rooms on the street side and our attic burned. The fire also spread to the roofs of neighboring houses on both sides. The fire was extinguished in about 40 minutes.

Nothing happened to us. But, unfortunately, while we were putting out the fire, an attic beam fell on one of the rescuers. When they pulled him out, he was alive and was taken away by ambulance.

We later learned that he died in the hospital. This was very difficult to hear. The fact that the man who came to rescue us died was very stressful for us.

Money, a car, a house—all of this can be restored, but you can't bring a person back. Our deepest condolences to the family of Boburmirzo, aka.

Aibek Aitaliev, Senior Instructor-Rescuer of the Special Rescue Battalion of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Senior Sergeant:

Boburmirzo was a master of his craft, a good guy. He was responsible for the technical serviceability of specialized tools and equipment, and after his shift, he handled paperwork.

Bobur was a personnel commander. We always treated each other well. If I asked, "Let me go for 2-3 hours, I'll come back later," or "The children are unwell, we need to take them to the doctor," he never refused. He always cared for his personnel. When necessary, he even interceded for them.

Bobur and I served during the flood in Sardoba [after the reservoir dam burst in May 2020].

We evacuated people to a safe zone, then rescued pets. After the water receded, we collected the carcasses of the dead animals to prevent the spread of disease. Then we helped pump water out of houses. Boburmirzo was responsible for providing motor pumps and other necessary equipment. He monitored the fuel and maintenance of the equipment. There was a complete power outage. Food was scarce for two days. He helped with everything.

We also participated in several rescue efforts after the explosion at the Baysun gas field.

The last time Bobur and I went to the field was on March 18th of this year.

The situation was dire. There was an accident at the well, gas was escaping under extreme pressure, and it was set on fire. We were ordered to extinguish the fire and cool the side plugs with water. When Bobur asked a specialist about the situation, he was told, "Anything could happen."

Bobur ordered us to retreat. A moment later, the plug blew out, starting a massive fire.

Bobur saved us.

All our equipment burned and melted. In February 2023, we were called upon to respond to the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Turkey.

A total of 100 people were deployed.

At the time, I was in the fire and rescue team, and Bobur was the commander of the search and rescue team. During the rescue operations in Turkey, the guys under Bobur's leadership went into places where AFAD (Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority) personnel could not. They pulled several people from the rubble.

I was with him. They started CPR on him. He was taken to the nearest intensive care unit. He could not be saved.

Overall, putting out this fire wasn't difficult. There was a hydrant nearby, and we got water from there. But the houses on the street are located right next to each other, and the risk of the fire spreading was high. We managed to contain the fire...

Bobur has two children, born the same year. I joked that they would both be in the same class. Yesterday we went to his parents' home for a wake in the Kattakurgan district of the Samarkand region. His father, crying, said, "He was my angelic son. He never contradicted me, no matter what I said." He added, "My son always praised you, saying he had great guys at his work."

Shukhrat Madaliev, senior rescue instructor, sergeant:

Boburmirzo was a sincere person. When he joined our team, he was a lieutenant. His eyes sparkled. It was clear how much he loved his profession. He immediately integrated into the team.

Yes, he was our commander, but also our student. When he first arrived, we taught him a lot about the profession, and later we learned a lot from him. He was humble and spared nothing for others.

Even in emergency situations, he stood shoulder to shoulder with us, never saying, "I'm an officer, I'm the boss." He was by our side. He was a friend, a rescuer, a brother, and a commander. What more can I say? He was special. He never hurt anyone, never held a grudge.

Unfortunately, his life was short. But during that time, he accomplished much and set an example for many. The last time I saw him, before heading to the airport to pick up the bodies of eight compatriots brought back from Russia, he checked our uniforms and gave us instructions on how to behave.

Farkhod Khaitboev, Deputy Commander of the Rescue Team, Group Commander, Major:

I've been working here for over 25 years. Bobur and I served together for six years. Before that, we were in the search and rescue team, and he was my deputy. Bobur was a courageous man. Wherever he had to go and whatever the situation—a fire or something else—he didn't stand aside, claiming he was an officer, but worked alongside the guys. Even in his off-duty time, he helped them as best he could. A person never knows where death will meet them. Bobur was present during the flood in Sardoba in 2020, and in Boysun, and in Turkey, rescuing people after the earthquake. He participated in extinguishing major fires in Tashkent and the Tashkent region. He emerged alive and unharmed, but died while extinguishing a 150-square-meter fire.

From the perspective of our profession, it wasn't that big a fire. He could have stood outside and said, "I'm an officer, I'm a commander," but he didn't.

That's the kind of guy he was: he tried to do everything in his power, and if he didn't understand something, he asked and did it.

During his service, Bobur participated in numerous competitions.

Participants from 14 countries come there. The last time he went to an event with colleagues, the Uzbek rescuers took second place.

Bobur will forever remain in our hearts. His absence will be felt. And we will continue to serve. We came to this job knowing where we were going, and we put on our uniforms with our responsibilities in mind. Should there be a fire or emergency, we'll be ready again.