A fire broke out at the Dushanbe Mall Tuesday afternoon.  The fire was reported on the third floor of the mall. 

The fire was extinguished but the whole building of the mall was smoky.

A source at the Interior Ministry says an area of 12 square meters on the third floor, where  an art gallery is located, was enveloped in the fire. 

According to him, five fire crews were involved in  extinguishing the fire and the dealt with the fire in minutes.

“According to the preliminary investigation, the fire started in toilet,” the source said, noting that the cause of the fire is under investigation.

No injured was reported, according to the source.  

Dushanbe Mall, Tajikistan’s largest shopping mall, is home to the country's first ever hypermarket, which is part of the French Auchan chain.

In November 2018, representatives of the mal said that it takes all necessary fire safety measures.  Recall, a fire drill for all staff of Dushanbe Mall took place in the morning of March 29, 2018.  The shopping mall management said at the time that their all fire safety systems function properly and all fire safety requirements are being strictly observed. 

Each of the mall stories as well as parking lots are reportedly provided with several fire hose cabinets.  The first floor has five fire exits, the second floor has six fire exits, the third floor (food court) has six fire exits and the fourth floor has five fire exits. 

To inspect the state of the fire safety system a fire drill was conducted at Dushanbe Mall on March 29, 2018 jointly with a special commission comprising representatives of the Dushanbe Chief Prosecutor’s Office and the State Fire Service of Tajikistan.