The fire “broke out in the barracks of a corps of engineers and snipers of an army unit,” the ministry said.
“Fifteen infantrymen died as a result. . . The condition of 3 (other) infantrymen is serious. “
The fire broke out around 1:30 a. m. on Thursday (21:30 GMT Wednesday) in the Azat barracks, a village in the eastern region of Gegharkunik, near the border with Azerbaijan.
The incident was “the result of the violation of chimney protection rules, in which prohibited ingredients were used,” Defense Minister Suren Papikyan told a cabinet meeting, providing initial information.
“We’re on gasoline,” he said.
Papikyan fired a corps commander and several senior officials following the incident.
Investigators said a fraudulent investigation into non-compliance with protection rules is underway.
In August 2022, more than a dozen people were killed in an explosion and the following fire at a busy market in Yerevan, the Armenian capital.
The Caucasian country of around 3 million people is still recovering from a 2020 war with Azerbaijan, which ended in a major defeat and sparked a political crisis.
Despite the end of large-scale fighting, tensions persist between former Soviet rivals over their borders.
On Thursday, Armenia’s Defense Ministry said one of its servicemen was wounded through Azerbaijani fire and in a “serious” condition.
In a comment to local media, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry denied opening fire.
The two sides accuse each other of violating a fragile truce they needed under Russian mediation to end the fight in 2020.