Clinic director testifies over Baku fire that killed three, injured 25
The director of a dental clinic charged over a fire that killed three people, including a child, and injured 25 in Baku testified in court, apologising to victims.
The director of a dental clinic charged over a fire that killed three people and injured 25 in Baku testified at the city's Serious Crimes Court on Wednesday, apologising to the victims and their families. Bahruz Pashayev, who ran the "Loft Dent" clinic on the ground floor of a residential building, said he had not realised the risk posed by work carried out at the site before the blaze, according to Azerbaijani news agency APA.
The fire broke out on 21 November 2025 in a multi-storey residential building on Mirali Seyidov Street in Baku's Yasamal district, where the ground and basement floors housed both the clinic and a restaurant. Three people died, including a child, and 25 were injured, APA reported.
Prosecutors allege Pashayev, as the person responsible for fire safety at the clinic, failed to follow fire safety rules, leading to the three deaths, the injuries and damage to flats in the building. He has been charged under a Criminal Code article covering fire safety breaches that negligently cause the deaths of two or more people, and is being held in pre-trial detention, APA reported.
Pashayev told the court he leased the clinic space from the building's owner, and that a restaurant and a car park with electric-vehicle charging points were also on the site. He said problems linked to the installation of the charging equipment led to the fire, and that he was at home when he was called about the blaze.
A lawyer representing the family of one of the victims said there were contradictions in the building owner's statement to investigators and asked the court to have him questioned as a witness. The judge said the owner would be formally recognised as an injured party in the case and questioned at a later hearing.
The next hearing, scheduled for 4 November, will hear testimony from victims, APA reported.
What we know
- Three people, including a child, died and 25 were injured in the 21 November 2025 fire at a residential building in Baku's Yasamal district, APA reported
- Clinic director Bahruz Pashayev is charged with violating fire safety rules, causing the deaths, and is held in pre-trial detention
- Pashayev testified that work on electric-vehicle charging points at the site's car park led to the fire
- The next hearing is scheduled for 4 November, when victims are expected to testify
Why it matters for Europe
The case is a rare instance of a fire-safety prosecution reaching trial in Azerbaijan, testing how the country holds building and business operators accountable for fire safety failures in shared residential and commercial premises.\n\nThe hearing, presided over by judge Babek Panahov at Baku's Serious Crimes Court, is continuing nearly a year after the fire, with prosecutors having sought and secured Pashayev's pre-trial detention while the case was investigated.
Sources
Reported by 3 reports from 3 independent outlets in 2 countries.
- Baku TV: Ракетный удар по Киеву: разрушены гаражи и автомобили, есть погибшие - Baku TV | RU
- APA Azerbaijan: Bakıda 3 nəfərin öldüyü, 25 nəfərin xəsarət aldığı yanğınla bağlı həbs edilən klinika direktoru məhkəmədə ifadə verib
- Oxu.az: Bakıda 3 nəfərin öldüyü, 25 nəfərin xəsarət aldığı yanğın: "Loft Klinika"nın direktoru məhkəmədə ifadə verdi
- Oxu.az: Bakıda yük maşını aşdı: Xəsarət alanların vəziyyəti açıqlandı - Video
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- When and where did the fire happen?
- The fire broke out on 21 November 2025 in a residential building on Mirali Seyidov Street in Baku's Yasamal district, Azerbaijan.
- Who is on trial?
- Bahruz Pashayev, director of the "Loft Dent" dental clinic that operated on the ground floor of the building, is charged with violating fire safety rules.
- How many people were killed or hurt?
- Three people, including a child, died and 25 were injured, according to Azerbaijani news agency APA.
This article was written with AI assistance from 4 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.