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[[File:Alma-Kzl obl.svg|thumb|right|300px|Location of [[Almaty Region]] in Kazakhstan]]
The '''2009 Taldykorgan fire''' occurred on 13 September 2009, when at least 38 people were killed in a fire at a [[drug abuse]] clinic in [[Taldykorgan]], [[Almaty Region]], [[Kazakhstan]].<ref name="Kazakhstan News 13/Sept/09">{{cite news|url=http://www.kazakhstannews.net/story/542546|title=Drug clinic fire leads to deaths|date=13 September 2009|publisher=[[Kazakhstan News]]|accessdate=2009-09-13|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5jq7gdRXE?url=http://www.kazakhstannews.net/story/542546|archivedate=2009-09-16|deadurl=no}}</ref><ref name="AFP 13/Sept/2009">{{cite news|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hrJljl18Zvn6do8KN-NfJpBHUNXQ |title=Huge fire kills 37 at Kazakhstan drug rehab centre|date=13 September 2009|publisher=[[Agence France-Presse|AFP]]|accessdate=2009-09-13| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20090930005203/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hrJljl18Zvn6do8KN-NfJpBHUNXQ| archivedate= 30 September 2009 | deadurl= no}}</ref><ref name="RIA Novosti 13/Sept/2009">{{cite news|url=http://en.rian.ru/exsoviet/20090913/156110641.html|title=Drug abuse clinic fire kills 38 people in south Kazakhstan|date=13 September 2009|publisher=[[RIA Novosti]]|accessdate=2009-09-13|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5jq7h2xZ2?url=http://en.rian.ru/exsoviet/20090913/156110641.html|archivedate=2009-09-16|deadurl=no}}</ref> At least 10 others were re-hospitalised after the fire.<ref name="Dozens dead in Kazakhstan blaze"/> Two of the dead were staff, the other 36 were patients.<ref name="Fire at Kazakhstan health clinic kills 38"/>
The building dates from 1951.<ref name="38 die in Kazakh drug clinic blaze"/> The cause of the blaze is currently unknown.<ref name="Dozens dead in Kazakhstan blaze"/><ref name="Dozens killed in blaze at drug rehab clinic"/>

== Fire ==
{{wikinews|Fire at Kazakhstan hospital kills at least 38}}The fire started at 5:30 AM.<ref name="Dozens killed in blaze at drug rehab clinic"/><ref name="37 killed in fire at Kazakh drug rehab clinic"/> The fire quickly spread through the single story Soviet-era building. Locked doors and barred windows blocked many escape routes,<ref name="Dozens dead in Kazakhstan blaze"/><ref name="Kazakhstan clinic fire kills 37"/> and screams were heard coming from the building for over 20 minutes.<ref name="37 killed in fire at Kazakh drug rehab clinic"/> 40 people were evacuated from the building by rescuers.<ref name="38 die in Kazakh drug clinic blaze">{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0913/kazakhstan.html|title=38 die in Kazakh drug clinic blaze|date=2009-09-13|accessdate=2009-09-13|publisher=[[Raidió Teilifís Éireann|RTÉ]]}}</ref><ref name="Dozens killed in blaze at drug rehab clinic"/> Ten people were taken to the hospital, where they were treated for severe burn injuries. Firefighters extinguished the fire after several hours.<ref name="Dozens killed in blaze at drug rehab clinic"/> The Bodies of 36 patients and 2 workers were recovered from the building, and taken to the city morgue where relatives were witnessed wailing.<ref name="37 killed in fire at Kazakh drug rehab clinic"/> One victim's sister criticised police for taking him away because "he was drinking too much. They said they were taking him away for six months to cure him of [[alcoholism]] but now he's dead".<ref name="37 killed in fire at Kazakh drug rehab clinic">{{cite web|author=Peter Leonard |url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/6617118.html |title=37 killed in fire at Kazakh drug rehab clinic |date=2009-09-13 |accessdate=2009-09-13 |publisher=''[[Houston Chronicle]]'' |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090916005456/http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/6617118.html |archivedate=September 16, 2009 }}</ref> Another woman, this one named Fatima, stated: "I heard them screaming for 20 minutes. They were screaming, 'Save us, save us'".<ref name="Dozens dead in Kazakhstan blaze"/> Relatives of the victims were warned by police not to talk to journalists, but a woman who lost her husband spoke to [[Al Jazeera]] on condition of anonymity. Journalists were not allowed to speak to victims in the hospital, but one patient whose bed was by the window told journalists that patients at the drug clinic had been locked in when the fire started before he was discovered by a police officer and pulled from the window.

== Reaction ==
[[Karim Massimov]], Kazakhstan's [[Prime Minister of Kazakhstan|Prime Minister]], asked for an investigation to take place.<ref name="Dozens dead in Kazakhstan blaze"/><ref name="Dozens killed in blaze at drug rehab clinic"/><ref name="Kazakhstan clinic fire kills 37">{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/accidents/news/article.cfm?c_id=13&objectid=10597141&ref=rss|title=Kazakhstan clinic fire kills 37|date=2009-09-14|accessdate=2009-09-13|publisher=''[[The New Zealand Herald]]''}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> The Emergencies Ministry later released a statement saying: "The fire had spread rapidly because fire fighters had been alerted late".<ref name="Fire at Kazakhstan health clinic kills 38">{{cite web|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSLD440583|title=Fire at Kazakhstan health clinic kills 38|date=2009-09-13|accessdate=2009-09-13|publisher=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> [[Serik Akhmetov]], the Deputy Prime Minister, is to fly to Taldykorgan.<ref name="Dozens dead in Kazakhstan blaze">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8252995.stm|title=Dozens dead in Kazakhstan blaze|date=2009-09-13|accessdate=2009-09-13|publisher=[[BBC]]| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20090913100732/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8252995.stm| archivedate= 13 September 2009 | deadurl= no}}</ref><ref name="Dozens killed in blaze at drug rehab clinic">{{cite web|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20090913-kazakhstan-fire-kill-taldykorgan-drug-clinic-rehab|title=Dozens killed in blaze at drug rehab clinic|date=2009-09-13|accessdate=2009-09-13|publisher=[[France 24]]}}</ref>

A commission to investigate the fire was established. The building itself was visited by [[fire safety]] inspectors in May 2009.<ref name="Dozens dead in Kazakhstan blaze"/> A number of violations were discovered, and the building was found to have no [[Fire alarm|alarm system]].<ref name="Dozens dead in Kazakhstan blaze"/><ref name="37 killed in fire at Kazakh drug rehab clinic"/> Some violations had since been fixed, but an alarm system had still not been installed.<ref name="Dozens dead in Kazakhstan blaze"/><ref name="37 killed in fire at Kazakh drug rehab clinic"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{coord missing|Kazakhstan}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taldykorgan Fire}}
[[Category:Disasters in Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:2009 fires]]
[[Category:2009 in Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Almaty Region]]

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