ALMATY -- Fire has destroyed a section of a large market in Almaty, the latest of a number of fires that have struck bazaars in Kazakhstan's largest city.
No casualties were reported.
Police have cordoned off the Yupiter market, preventing anyone from entering the site.
In December, a fire at a market in the Qarasai District, near Almaty, killed two.
Eight markets in Almaty and its outskirts were damaged by fires in September and November.
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.
No casualties were reported.
Police have cordoned off the Yupiter market, preventing anyone from entering the site.
In December, a fire at a market in the Qarasai District, near Almaty, killed two.
Eight markets in Almaty and its outskirts were damaged by fires in September and November.
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.
