At least 13 people died in the night between Friday and Saturday in the fire of a Russian bar in Kostroma, about 300 kilometers northeast of Moscow, according to the Tass agency. The fire was reportedly started by a drunk man who fired a rescue rocket at the dance floor. “He was at the bar with a woman, to whom he offered flowers with a relief glow in his hands”. “He went to the dance floor and shot”sources of the emergency services told the Russian agency.
At noon, the police announced that they had arrested the alleged perpetrator. The Interior Ministry said in a note “identified and arrested a suspect for an illegal act in one of the night bars in the city of Kostroma, which resulted in a fire and the death of the victims”.
50 firefighters mobilized
The scene of the tragedy is a restaurant and dance bar called “Polygon”, open day and night. According to Russian news agency RIA Novosti, the establishment is owned by Ikhtiïar Mirzoïev, a local deputy from Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party.
The fire was extinguished by early morning. According to the emergency services, it covered an area of 3,500 m2 and 250 people were evacuated. Five people were injured but did not need hospitalization.
A firefighter interviewed by local public television said 50 firefighters and 20 fire engines were needed to put out the fire, which was difficult to control due to the risk of the building collapsing. Kostroma, a city of 230,000 inhabitants located on the banks of the Volga, is one of the oldest cities in Russia, famous for its medieval architecture and monasteries.
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