Criminal probe into Yerevan landfill fire continues

Armenian law enforcement authorities have opened a criminal case into last month’s fire at the Nubarashen landfill in Yerevan after Mayor Tigran Avinyan suggested the blaze was deliberately set.

Avinyan, who visited the site on October 10 while the fire was still burning, said the incident “was not accidental but deliberate”. He announced that access to the landfill had been tightened and security reinforced. In a later Facebook livestream, he said he had spoken with the heads of the National Security Service and the Interior Ministry, vowing that “anyone connected to the fire will be held fully accountable”.

In response to a query from Panorama.am, the Prosecutor General’s Office said it initiated criminal proceedings on October 11 under Article 369(1) of Armenia’s Criminal Code, which concerns violations of safety rules in handling hazardous chemical or biological substances or waste. The offense carries a possible prison term of four to eight years. The investigation is underway.

The Nubarashen landfill, which frequently smolders due to decomposing waste, caught fire amid unusually strong overnight winds, conditions that could also have caused a natural ignition. Panorama understands that Avinyan’s suggestion of intentional arson may prove difficult for law enforcement to substantiate.

The media outlet will continue to monitor developments in the case.