On 28 October 1995, a fire broke out in the subway system of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, between the stations Ulduz and Nariman Narimanov. According to official figures, the fire killed 289 people: 286 passengers (including 28 children) and three rescue workers, while 270 people were injured. The fire was deemed to have been caused by an electrical malfunction, but the possibility of deliberate sabotage was not excluded.

Although a number of people who evacuated the train survived, the fire remains the world's deadliest subway disaster. One person, Chingiz Babayev, was posthumously awarded the title of the National Hero of Azerbaijan for saving passengers' lives.