The investigation continues into the proceedings that were launched in connection with the explosion at the Surmalu shopping market in Yerevan on August 14, Armenian News-NEWS.am has learned from the Prosecutor General’s Office of Armenia.

In the framework of this criminal case, Yerevan prosecutor Sevak Hovhannisyan has sent petitions to the head of the Urban Development, Technical Standards and Fire Safety Inspectorate in order to find out and eliminate the circumstances contributing to the commission of the crime.

During the investigation of the criminal proceedings initiated in connection with the fire that occurred at Surmalu market on April 6, 2021 and the explosion that occurred on August 14, 2022, it was found that the head of the aforesaid inspectorate had ordered an inspection at the Yerevan Canning Factory back in 2021. And according to the results of the inspection, violations of the requirements of the technical and fire safety normative documents were found in the factory, and the deadlines for their elimination were recorded.

It was also found that some business owners at Surmalu were engaged in the storage and free sale of fireworks products, which is not allowed by the fire safety rules approved by the order of the Minister of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations in 2015.

It was also found out that an inspection was ordered to be carried out at the Yerevan Canning Factory regarding compliance with the requirements of legal acts in technical and fire safety.

According to the results of this inspection, violations of the requirements of technical and fire safety normative documents were found in the factory. It was found that after the deadline for the elimination of these violations, no actions aimed at new inspections and preventive measures were carried out.

Meanwhile, as a result of the inspections carried out at the Surmalu shopping market, many violations of fire safety rules were recorded, which were already the cause of the aforesaid fire.

The Yerevan prosecutor has proposed—through petitions—to discuss in a short period of time the matter of conducting inspections in major shopping centers in Yerevan, the fulfillment of the requirements of the order of the Minister of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations in 2015 by the businessmen engaged in the sale of fireworks products in shopping halls and places with a large number of people in Armenia, as well as the matter of stopping the operation of the Yerevan Canning Factory—until the latter’s elimination of violations of the fire safety rules that were recorded there.