Fire at Rustavi 2 Headquarters

A fire broke out at Rustavi 2 television station late Wednesday night, destroying at least 40 square metres of the building. It was reported that the fire started in the area that connects the three main buildings.

Employees of Rustavi 2 television channel were the first to notice smoke in the building, who then proceeded to call 112, the Emergency and Operative Response Center.

They tried to extinguish the fire themselves before the emergency services arrived, even managing to take some of the technical equipment out of the building.

The fire brigade sent six teams to try to extinguish the blaze, as well as ambulances to attend to any injured people. The police were also present to rule out arson.

No-one was injured, the fire was subsequently localized and extinguished. The cause of the fire is unknown at time of going to press.

Nodar Meladze, Head of the Information Department at Rustavi 2, says that the area where the fire started is particularly susceptible to fire, with the majority of the electrical equipment kept in the area, together with the studio decorations and props, which are made of wood.

“The fact the fire started in the part of the building where highly flammable objects are stored raises some suspicion,” said Zaal Udumashvili, Former Deputy General Director and news TV anchor at Rustavi 2 and one of the candidates for the post of Tbilisi Mayor. “The surveillance cameras in the area were damaged, eliminating the possibility to view CCTV recording”.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia have already started an investigation. The amount of damage caused by the fire will be assessed.

Nino Gugunishvili