Ulaanbaatar
Fire extinguished at State Department Store
Society
Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. A fire broke out in the roof, 6th and 7th floor of the building of the State Department Store located near the center of Ulaanbaatar city in the Chingeltei District in the late afternoon of June 7, yesterday.
Firefighting department was called out at 4:48 PM and first firefighting crews arrived at the scene of the incident in two minutes. After additional crews arrived, some 96 firefighters of eight units using 27 firefighting techniques and equipment had the major blaze under control by 5:30 PM, and completely extinguished as of 9:30 PM later that evening. Due to lack of fire hydrants nearby, trucks of the State Emergency Commission, Suu LLC and Ulaanbaatar Railways carried additional water to the scene.
The entire roof and sixth floor of the building were destroyed, and the lower floors, from the first to fourth, were not affected by the fire, and the fifth floor was partially caught on fire and is now soaked with water. A large number of shops selling traditional souvenirs, gifts, handmade goods, paintings, and bookstore, coffee shop, cafeteria and other retail shops were renting spaces on the upper floors of the State Department Store.
The Emergency Commission of Ulaanbaatar city today confirmed that no injuries were reported, and 11 people who were trapped inside the smoke-filled building were saved. The cause of the fire is still under investigation and it will take at least two weeks to determine it, according to the officials.
The current building of the State Department Store was built in 1961 with an assistance from China, and since the 1999 decision to privatize the government-owned department store, Nomin Holding LLC has been owning a majority stake.
