A suspect in the death of a person in a fire in Makhachkala has been detained.

Security officials have detained a suspect in an industrial safety violation that resulted in the death of a man in a gas tank fire at a gas storage station in Makhachkala. Residents were evacuated from their homes and apartments due to the fire.

An operator at a gas storage station in the village of Novy Khushet on the outskirts of Makhachkala died on February 16 as a result of an industrial safety violation at a hazardous industrial facility.

The suspect has been detained, and investigators will soon petition the court to impose a preventive measure against him, the press service of the Investigative Committee for Dagestan reported today on its Telegram channel.

The case is being investigated for signs of a violation of industrial safety requirements for hazardous production facilities, which resulted in the death of a person due to negligence. 1 The criminal investigation is ongoing, the department reported.

Due to the fire in Makhachkala, a high alert regime has been declared, and an emergency response center has been established to address the incident's aftermath and ensure the safety of residents, Makhachkala Mayor Dzhambulat Salavov wrote on his Telegram channel on February 17.

"The population was successfully evacuated from the affected area. An emergency response center has been established at Secondary School No. 6, where all necessary safety and comfort measures have been implemented," the official reported.

Later, the mayor of Makhachkala reported that by 5:30 a.m. on February 17, the temporary accommodation center (TAC), set up at a comprehensive school, had officially closed.

"During the TAC's operation, 59 people were admitted, including 11 children. A larger number of residents were evacuated, some of whom chose to stay with relatives. Currently, there is no threat to the population; the situation in the village has been completely stabilized," the mayor wrote.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that in September 2025, the investigation into the deaths in the gas station explosion in Dagestan was completed. Marat Dzhankhuvatov, the owner of the gas station in Novy Khushet where 13 people died in an explosion, hired unaccredited specialists to repair the gas pipeline. The investigation concluded that the repairs violated safety regulations.