Russian emergency services suspect that an act “criminal” is at the origin of a vast fire which started in the night from Thursday to Friday in a shopping center in the suburbs of Moscow, killing one person according to the Russian media.
“Firefighters are fighting a fire with an area of 7,000 m² in the Moscow region”, announced on Telegram the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, without confirming at first the death toll mentioned by the Russian media.
The fire rages at the Mega Khimki shopping center, in the suburb of Khimki, north of the Russian capital, seven kilometers from Sheremetyevo international airport.
“Deliberate acts, such as arson, are contemplated”
“Due to the collapse of the roof, the fire instantly spread to a wide area,” said the ministry on Instagram, citing the difficulty of firefighters working on site. Russian emergency services suspect that an act “criminal“is the cause of the large fire, Russian news agencies reported shortly following, referring to sources within the emergency services.
“Deliberate acts, such as arson, are contemplated”, said the Interfax agency. The Sputnik agency specified that a criminal act was “one of the main explanations” considered for this fire. State agencies then cited a violation of safety standards as the possible origin of the fire. Videos posted on social media showed a massive fire as people fled a burning building towards a parking lot.
