A deadly fire tore through a large commercial complex near Tehran on Tuesday, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens more, with authorities launching a criminal investigation and issuing an arrest warrant for the building's constructor. The blaze erupted at the Arghavan commercial complex in the city of Andisheh, located west of the Iranian capital, and sent thick black smoke billowing across the surrounding area. Emergency teams worked through the night to bring the fire under control in the seven-storey building, which housed more than 250 shops and around 50 offices.
State television reported 36 people were injured, though officials warned the toll could still rise. Early reports had put the death toll as high as 11, and casualty figures continued to fluctuate as rescue operations concluded. Preliminary findings suggest that flammable composite materials used on the building's facade played a significant role in accelerating the spread of the fire — a hazard that safety experts have repeatedly flagged following similar incidents in Iran.
The prosecutor's office in Shahriar, the administrative district covering Andisheh, has opened a formal investigation into the cause of the disaster and issued an arrest warrant for the complex's constructor on suspicion of safety breaches and negligence. The government has also pledged a full audit of comparable commercial buildings across the country to assess fire safety compliance.
The incident is being described as one of the deadliest fires in Iran in recent years. It follows a string of high-profile building disasters in the country, including the collapse of the 15-storey Plasco shopping centre in Tehran in January 2017, which killed at least 22 people including 16 firefighters, and a clinic fire in northern Tehran in June 2020 that killed at least 19.
The Arghavan fire has prompted renewed scrutiny of construction standards and building safety regulations in Iran, where rapid commercial development has at times outpaced regulatory oversight. Authorities' swift legal response signals growing pressure to hold those responsible for unsafe structures accountable.