Photo: The aftermath of a fire at a shopping mall in the Zangiata district

Photo: Aftermath of a fire in a shopping mall in the Zangiata district

On the afternoon of August 6, a major fire broke out in a two-story shopping mall in the village of Eshonguzar in the Zangiata district of the Tashkent region. The fire started in one of the stores, and then spread to neighboring shops.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Uzbekistan, the fire alarm was received at 12:29 PM. Several fire and rescue teams quickly arrived at the scene.

According to the report, the fire was contained by 1:48 PM and completely extinguished by 2:09 PM. According to preliminary data from the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the fire damaged 400 square meters of retail space. There were no injuries.

A Gazeta correspondent, arriving at the scene around 8:00 PM, found firefighters still working, inspecting the premises and helping clear the rubble.

Smoke was still billowing from some of the premises, along with a pungent odor. The smoke soon cleared. Recovered goods, along with piles of charred debris, lay on the ground.

One of the vendors speculated that the fire started on the top floor due to electrical problems.

The cluster, consisting of more than 10 stores, is located along the Tashkent Ring Road, near the district's specialized school. They sold furniture, sporting goods, mobile phone accessories, gifts, and children's items.

There were about 20 vendors at the scene. Some were waiting for the owners of their goods. One woman said she was waiting for her husband, who was supposed to remove some of the surviving goods.

There's a small store located directly behind the damaged stores. Its clerk, a young man, said that during the firefighting effort, they provided free water to both the employees of the damaged stores and the firefighters.