YEREVAN. – The possible reason for fire at Nairit chemical plant could be violation of safety rules, former Nairit director Karen Israelyan told RFE/RL Armenian service.

According to him, the chemical substance is obtained during the technological process, and it is necessary to regulate the issue of its storage in terms of safety: ethanol had to be burned, for which there are special ovens.

“The substance was received seven years ago, when the plant was working. During manufacturing process, we burned this material ourselves by using special ovens. The material we obtained turned out to be a waste in the production of chloroprene,” he said, adding that special safety rules exist for the storage of this chemical.

He explained that similar incident occurred in 2006 and the reason is that it is a flammable substance and when heated, gases ignite very quickly.

According to him, after this incident, Nairit experts decided to add nitrogen to the package in order to reduce contact with air and create an air barrier. The lacquer stored in open tanks ignited, Israelyan explained.