Kostroma is a city of about 270,000 inhabitants, 300 km (190 mi) northeast of Moscow on the banks of the Volga River. The fire broke out in the early hours of the morning at Polygono, a multi-purpose recreation area that is used as a cafe, night club and bar. Rescuers said 250 people were evacuated from the building. State media said the fire started when a man fired a gun indoors, igniting the ceiling. Police have now arrested a man in connection with the incident, the Home Office said. “After the flare was fired, decorative elements on the ceiling caught fire and the fire began to spread immediately. Very quickly the room began to fill with heavy smoke and the evacuation exits were difficult to distinguish. There was pushing and panic,” the TASS news agency reported , cited source. Most of those killed in the fire were found in the smoking room, utility room and near the toilets, TASS reported, citing emergency services. “As a result of the fire, 13 people lost their lives, the number of dead and injured is being clarified,” the Investigative Committee said in a statement. The fire was extinguished at 7:29 am. (0429 GMT), according to the governor. Video released by investigators showed firefighters spraying water on what appeared to be the roof of the smoldering building. According to rescuers, the fire covered an area of 3,500 square meters. Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said it had not recently conducted a fire safety inspection of the facility due to its classification as a small business. There have been at least five other restaurant fires since the start of the year, two of which resulted in deaths. In 2009, 156 people were killed after a fire broke out at the Lame Horse nightclub in the city of Perm, sparking calls for stricter fire safety laws in a country where deadly fires occur regularly. Report by Caleb Davis. Editing by Kevin Liffey and Christina Fincher Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
