ALMATY -- Fire has destroyed 150 square meters of a market near Almaty, the latest blaze to have struck a bazaar in Kazakhstan's largest city.
Two people were killed in a fire that hit a market in the Qarasai District, near Almaty, on December 2.
Fires destroyed four markets in Almaty in November.
Four other markets in Almaty and its outskirts were damaged by fires in September.
One fire has so far been determined to be arson. The others are still under investigation.
Vendors in Almaty have staged protests, demanding the local government compensate their losses.
Almaty officials refuse to rebuild the damaged markets, saying they were established illegally in the 1990s and interfere with plans to build new highways in the area.
Two people were killed in a fire that hit a market in the Qarasai District, near Almaty, on December 2.
Fires destroyed four markets in Almaty in November.
Four other markets in Almaty and its outskirts were damaged by fires in September.
One fire has so far been determined to be arson. The others are still under investigation.
Vendors in Almaty have staged protests, demanding the local government compensate their losses.
Almaty officials refuse to rebuild the damaged markets, saying they were established illegally in the 1990s and interfere with plans to build new highways in the area.
