Security personnel of Almaty's flea market that was on fire on November 17, did not call the firefighters for about an hour after the fire stated, trying to extinguish it on their own.
Retired colonel Murat Zhumatayev, veteran of the Kazakhstan Ministry of Emergency Situations, has called the traders' version that the flea market was deliberately set on fire ludicrous.
Vice-Minister of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan Zhanbolat Smailov led the alarm response group of the Ministry of Emergency Situations that worked at the fire site.