BAKU, AZERBAIJAN —
Azerbaijani officials say 16 people have died and more than 50 have been injured in a fire at an apartment building in Baku, the capital.
The massive fire quickly engulfed 16-story apartment building Tuesday and took hours to contain.
Azerbaijan's chief prosecutor, Zakir Garalov, said the bad quality of plastic paneling covering the building contributed to the fire and a criminal probe has been launched to determine the fire's cause.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev has taken personal control of the investigation.
A similar fire erupted in Baku earlier this month, but there were no injuries.
