Five square meters of trash and no casualties. A fire in the basement of the Bessarabsky Market, which emergency responders extinguished, looks like a minor city incident. But the timing and location tell a different story.

Newly opened — and already burning in the basement

The Bessarabsky Market reopened after reconstruction on December 10, 2025. Less than half a year later — a fire breaks out in the basement. According to the Kyiv City Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service, trash caught fire over an area of 5 square meters, the fire was extinguished, and there were no casualties.

Trash caught fire over an area of 5 square meters. The fire has been extinguished. No casualties.

— Kyiv City Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service

The basement — precisely the area where work is still unfinished

A notable coincidence: since May 2025, the market has been upgrading refrigeration equipment and planning to restore the slabs between the basement and the trading floor — to strengthen the structure. According to The Village Ukraine, citing the Bessarabsky Market municipal enterprise, the required permit from the Ministry of Culture for this work had not been obtained at the time of publication.

The Bessarabsky Market is a protected architectural monument of national significance, constructed in 1912 according to architect Henryk Gaj's design. Any intervention in structural elements requires a separate permit.

What this means in practice

• The basement is a technical zone containing construction and household waste that accumulates during repair work.
• Restoration of the slabs between the basement and the hall has not officially begun — there is no permit.
• Fire hazard in areas of active or incomplete repairs is statistically higher.

The incident itself is minor. But if basement slab restoration does begin — without proper control over construction waste — risks will multiply several times over on an object where authentic 1912 structures cannot be replaced.

The question is not about today's trash fire, but something else: will the Bessarabsky Market municipal enterprise obtain a permit from the Ministry of Culture for basement slab restoration before major construction work begins there — and will anyone be held responsible for cleanup then?