Firefighters battled the blaze for several hours before the collapse as police kept out shopkeepers and others wanting to rush back in to collect their valuables.
The building came down in a matter of seconds, shown live on state television, which had begun an interview with a journalist at the scene.
“The building is one of the oldest buildings in Tehran. The Plasco building is a very old building in southern Tehran. It is mostly a commercial building,” state TV said, referring to the Plasco Building, which is more than 50 years old.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency said the Plasco building “had caught fire in the past”.
“The fire started on the ninth floor … The fire is almost under the control now,” Tasnim reported.
A grocery shop owner, forced by police to leave the area, told Reuters by telephone that “it was like a horror movie. The building collapsed in front of me.”
The semi-official Fars news agency said police have cordoned off British and Turkish embassies that are located near the Plasco building.
A side of the building came down first, tumbling perilously close to a firefighter perched on a ladder and spraying water on the blaze.
A thick plume of brown smoke rose over the site. Onlookers wailed in grief.
Fire brigade spokesman Jalal Malekias said the building was known to breach safety standards.
“We had repeatedly warned the building managers about the lack of safety of the building,” he said, adding that it lacked sufficient fire extinguishers.
“Even in the stairwells, a lot of clothing is stored and this is against safety standards. The managers didn’t pay attention to the warnings,” he told state television.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2651561/seventeen-story-building-collapses-in-iranian-capital-tehran-leaving-at-least-38-people-injured/
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