Fire in a coffee shop in Kian Bazaar, Ahvaz, leaves at least 11 dead
Iranian news agencies report that a fire in a coffee shop in the Alavi neighborhood in Kian Bazaar in Ahvaz has left at least 11 people dead.
In an interview with ISNA, Maqsood Haghshenas, Public Relations Director of the Ahvaz Municipality Fire and Safety Services Organization, described the fire at the Nouras coffee house as "extensive and severe."
According to him, "As soon as firefighters arrived at the scene, they were confronted with raging flames that had engulfed the entire coffeehouse."
Mr. Maghsoudi added: The fire started at 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 4, and left 14 people injured. According to him, the fire was extinguished in 10 minutes, but three firefighters were also injured.
Mojtaba Khalidi, a spokesman for Iran's emergency services, also told Fars News Agency that the injured were taken to the hospital, but according to him, "some of them are in critical condition."
The Telegram channel of the Iran newspaper, citing some "eyewitnesses," attributed the fire to the "crazy act of a man" who, in an unbalanced situation, set the coffeehouse on fire by pouring gasoline.
Meanwhile, Ali Ghasempour, deputy social affairs officer of the Khuzestan provincial police force, said that the suspect in the arson attack had been arrested, adding that he was a "fired worker" of the coffee shop and "a close relative of the owner."
As the police official stated, the defendant committed this act out of "revenge."
He has announced the death toll from the fire at least 11 people.
The Mizan news agency reported that the identities of six of the dead "remain unknown, either due to the lack of identification documents or the severity of their burns."
Nabiollah Khonmirzaei, the acting governor of Ahvaz, also said that the dimensions of the incident are currently being investigated by law enforcement agencies, adding: "It appears that the fire in this coffee shop was intentionally set. The main suspect in this incident has been arrested by police officers and is currently under interrogation."
Source: Radio Farda
