Burnt-down house in Makhachkala is unfit for living, fire victims assert

The tenants of the two-storey house in Makhachkala, where a fire broke out on November 13, complain that they have nowhere to live.

The fire happened in a two-storey house at No. 7 Gamidov (Kirov) Street.

Magomed Gadjimagomedov, who lives in Apartment 9, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the fire went up due to slow actions of firemen. "Their truck came quickly, within ten minutes; but they almost for half an hour running around on the roof, studying something; meanwhile, the fire blew up. Later it turned out that they had come without water. As a result, the actual fire fighting began forty minutes later," said Gadjimagomedov.

His neighbour Akhmed Makhmudov said that the victims were offered no help. "The people, who found themselves in the street, spent the night with their neighbours and relatives. Rescuers from the Ministry for Emergencies (MfE) did not even ask whether help was needed," said Makhmudov and added: "The house is old; it was built in 1928. For a couple of times, probably, it was repaired. The wiring has always been a concern, but no one was in a hurry to fix it. This was a probable reason of the fire."

Saniyat Isaeva, another tenant, complains that the house is not safe to live. "The second level is surely unfit for living. The roof needs complete replacement; the walls of the ground floor got swollen from water. I'm afraid that the house is unfit for habitation; and it needs to be demolished," she said.

The press service of the Dagestani MfE said that the fire fighters had acted according to the instruction. The press service of Makhachkala Mayoralty has stated that they knew nothing about the fire. "We've heard nothing about the fire; but if it happened, of course, the necessary assistance will be provided," said an employee of the press service.