Tajik authorities take fire precautions

DUSHANBE, January 9 (RIA Novosti) - All organizations, both state and private-owned, in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe will have to ensure day-and-night monitoring of their premises to prevent fires and other accidents, the mayor's office told reporters Monday.

The decision was made at an emergency session of city and federal officials who heard the fire-fighting service and prosecutors' reports on the circumstances of the fire at a home for disabled children in Dushanbe Sunday.

Mayor Makhmadsaid Ubaidullayev censured local authorities and the home director for negligence.

The fire killed 13 children, two were hospitalized with severe burns, authorities said Sunday.

A total of 77 children were evacuated and accommodated in a school building. TV footages showed people bringing clothes and food to the children. The authorities have promised to install a new electric transformer in the school to ensure uninterrupted heating.

The fire completely destroyed the building that was built in 1934. Preliminary reports suggest electricity overload as the cause of the fire.