YEREVAN. – The Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) of Armenia received a call, on Friday at 10:01am.

It was informed that there was smoke in the basement of the Scientific Technological Center of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, in capital city Yerevan.

Six firefighting squads and an emergency response team were dispatched to the scene.

The fire at this center was completely isolated at 10:45pm, and it was solely in the basement.

Nersik Nazaryan, head of the MES Yerevan Rescue Department, told reporters that although there were chemicals in the basement of this building, there is no risk of air pollution.

In his words, only the Yerevan Investigation Department building is next this center, and its employees were evacuated.

Karapet Karapetyan, head of the MES Man-made Accident Division, noted that there are various chemicals and reagents in the basement, but it is not known exactly which one of them had burned.

Photos by D. Hayrapetyan