Fire at Plasco Building in Tehran

The Plasco commercial complex, the first high-rise building constructed in Iran, caught fire on Thursday morning, January 30, and Iranian news agencies have described the intensity of the fire as 'extensive.' Images released by the state news agency IRNA show the fire in the upper floors of the complex, while vehicles in the surrounding streets are stuck in traffic. The Fars news agency reports that this building caught fire at the intersection of Jomhouri Street and Ferdowsi Street on Thursday morning. The Tehran Fire Department announced that four fire stations, along with equipment and tools, have been dispatched to the scene. The activities of the Plasco building are specifically related to the clothing trade. Jalal Maleki, spokesperson for the Fire Department, told Fars news agency that this aspect complicates firefighting efforts, stating that 'firefighters must intervene from several sections to prevent the spread of the fire.' Mr. Maleki mentioned, 'So far, there have been no injuries in this incident.' However, it is unclear how many people were inside the building at the time of the fire and whether the blaze occurred before or after the complex's operational hours. IRNA also reported that 'some production workshops in this building had night shifts, and firefighters rescued several individuals from inside the workshops and transferred them to a safe location.' The Tehran Traffic Police's information center stated that restrictions have been imposed on surrounding streets 'to facilitate the movement of emergency and firefighting vehicles and will be lifted after the flames are extinguished.' Reports indicate that 'many emergency vehicles,' including Tehran's ambulance service, are present at the scene. The Plasco building was constructed by Habibollah Alghaniyan, the owner of the 'Plasco' plastic manufacturing company, before the 1979 revolution in Iran. The Alghaniyan family established several factories and shopping centers in Iran over the decades. After the revolution, the Plasco building was confiscated by the Foundation of the Oppressed, and its builder, Mr. Alghaniyan, who was also the head of the Jewish Association of Tehran, was executed during the deadly events following the revolution.