In the early hours of today morning, a tragic fire swept through one of the largest shopping malls near Moscow, killing one person.
The enormous fire, which grew to the size of a football field, ravaged the Mega retail center in Khimki, a suburb of the Russian capital.
Part of the shopping center collapsed as a result of the fire, complicating firefighters’ efforts to extinguish the flames.
One person, named by local media as Sergey Smurov, perished in the fire after being trapped in a mall annex.
The enormous fire, which grew to the size of a football field, tore through the Mega retail center in Khimki, close to the Russian capital.
In the early hours of this morning, a tragic fire swept through the Mega retail center outside Moscow, leaving one person dead.
On Friday, firefighters in Russia are battling a blaze the size of a football field that broke out overnight at the Mega Khimki shopping and entertainment complex.
This morning, firefighters continue to combat the blaze that has damaged a shopping center that was destroyed by a raging fire.
On Friday, dozens of rescue vehicles arrived at the scene of the incident and worked to extinguish the blaze, which had grown to the size of a football field.
The footage from the site showed flames illuminating the sky and thick smoke rising into the air as a large number of people fled the blazing structure towards a parking lot.
More than 70 firefighters and 20 fire engines were attempting to extinguish the blaze, which had extended over 7,000 square metres (75,300 square feet), according to emergency services, who added that the building’s design complicated their efforts.
The Moscow region’s emergency services said on Telegram, “Due to the collapse of the roof, the fire quickly spread to a vast area.”
The Investigative Committee of Russia, which investigates major crimes, stated that it was investigating the cause of the fire.
The footage from the site showed flames lighting up the sky and thick smoke pouring into the air as dozens of people rushed into a parking lot from the blazing structure.
Scene footage depicted flames illuminating the sky and thick smoke rising into the air.
Friday morning, Russian firefighters battle the wildfire at the Mega shopping complex.
Friday dawn reveals the extent of the damage caused by the mall fire, as firemen continue to douse the flames with water.
The head of the emergency services agency for the Moscow region stated that safety requirements were likely broken during the building’s renovations.
Local media were told by unnamed sources that the blaze began in an OBI home improvement store, a German brand that shuttered shortly after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine.
A local man stated, “Everything started flaming from the ceiling down; I do not know where the spark originated.” The fire spread quite rapidly.
Part of the shopping center collapsed as a result of the fire, complicating firefighters’ efforts to extinguish the flames.
The enormous fire, which grew to the size of a football field, ravaged the Mega retail center in Khimki, a suburb of the Russian capital. The fire could be observed from kilometers away.
As firemen tried to extinguish a fire that ripped through a retail mall in the early hours of today morning, smoke rises from the site.
‘In less than five minutes, the entire roof was engulfed in flames.
The lowest floor was already engulfed in flames after ten minutes of rapid progression.
Prior to the firms’ withdrawal from Russia in the wake of the Ukraine conflict, Mega was home to a large number of Western retail chains, including one of the first IKEA stores in the greater Moscow area.
»Fatal fire rages through a Moscow retail center, killing one person as the structure EXPLODES«