Fire engulfs Plasco Trade Center building
© Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesFire engulfs high-rise building, Plasco, in Tehran, Iran on January 19, 2017.
Some 30 Iranian firefighters are feared dead after a high-rise commercial building engulfed by fire collapsed in Tehran, according to state TV. Over 200 people are reported injured.

Police have cordoned off the area, and rescue teams are on their way to the scene, state TV reported.

An official was quoted as saying that between 50 to 100 people are believed to have been trapped under the rubble, Press TV reported, adding that nearby buildings including the embassies of Turkey and the UK have been evacuated. More than 200 people injured in the fire have been taken to local hospitals, IRNA news agency reported.

"The building is one of the oldest buildings in Tehran," it said, adding that "the Plasco building is located in southern Tehran and is mostly a commercial building." The building came down in a matter of seconds, with a thick plume of smoke instantly rising over the site.


The fire spread throughout the seventeen-story building in the early hours of Thursday morning, despite efforts by Tehran firefighters to put out the blaze, IRNA reported, adding that Plasco Trade Center is the biggest in the Iranian capital.
Collapsed building
© Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesCollapsed Plasco building is seen after it was engulfed by fire, in Tehran, Iran on January 19, 2017.
Collapsed building in Tehran
© Tasnim News Agency/ReutersA collapsed building is seen in Tehran, Iran January 19, 2017.
"We had repeatedly warned the building managers about the lack of safety of the building," Fire Department spokesman Jalal Maleki said, as quoted by AFP. "Even in the stairwells, a lot of clothing is stored and this is against safety standards. The managers didn't pay attention to the warnings," he added.


The tower, located on Jomhoori Avenue, was built in 1962 and named after a plastics manufacturing company. The Plasco building includes a shopping mall and clothing workshops.