Did Agrarian University burn, or was it burned?

On September 30, at 8:10 p.m., a fire broke out in the Tashkent State Agrarian University building, located in the Qibray district of the Tashkent region. The fire spread over an area of ​​2,400 square meters, but thanks to the efforts of the firefighting team, 1,000 square meters were saved.

"A total of 27 pieces of equipment and about 200 personnel were involved in extinguishing the fire. It was contained by 9:36 p.m. and fully extinguished by 10:10 p.m.," informed Rustam Alimov, the press secretary of Tashkent DES.

We reached out to residents for information about the cause of the fire. A local businessman who works near the university said the fire spread very quickly.

"We were standing below and saw the first floor on fire. In less than five minutes, all nine floors were burning. The wind spread the fire rapidly through the alikafon, and the whole building was engulfed. We rushed to help prevent the fire from reaching our store. Embers spread around, setting nearby fir trees ablaze. We did our best to control it. Fortunately, there is a fountain pool in front of the university. When we weren't sure if the men would come down, a woman jumped in and handed them a bucket of water," recalled one witness.

Another witness mentioned there was initial fear and some panic among the public.

"People blocked the roads and stopped traffic. Everyone tried to help as much as they could until the firefighters arrived," he said.

However, witnesses reported no damage to the houses near the building. All that remained of the nine-story structure was the dry walls, leaving the building deplorable.

"As you know, the nine-story economic building of our university was damaged yesterday. Fortunately, no one was inside, and there were no injuries. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and investigations are underway," said Zarnigor Sodikova, the university's press secretary.

She also dismissed reports that the section containing university documents had been burnt and reassured parents not to worry about their children.

Despite the fire, students living in dormitories located a short distance away were not evacuated.

"We were in our rooms at the time. We heard about the fire, went downstairs to check it out for a while, and then went back to sleep," said one student.

The university spokesperson explained that the distance between the fire and the student residences was the reason no evacuation occurred.

"As mentioned earlier, the fire was at the entrance of the building, far from the student housing. There is still discussion about whether classes will be held tomorrow," he added.

As a reminder, QALAMPIR.UZ had earlier provided a report from the scene of the incident.