MOSCOW: According to Russian news media, a fire Saturday in a tavern in the Russian city of Kostroma claimed the lives of at least 15 people.
According to the TASS news agency, an intoxicated guy may have shot a “flame gun” onto the dance floor of the popular pub, sparking the nighttime fire there.
Images of the “Polygon” bar, which is located in a one-story logistics center, engulfed in flames were shown on state television.
According to the authorities, the fire was extinguished at 7:30 am local time after beginning around 2:00 am.
Although emergency officials later reported the discovery of two more bodies, governor Sergei Sitnikov had earlier said that 13 people had died.
“Two additional corpses were found. Thus, there are now 15 victims “Law enforcement sources were cited by the TASS news agency.
Authorities had said that 250 people were rescued from the burning building in the city some 300 kilometers (180 miles) northeast of Moscow.
According to sources in the emergency services, the fire was probably started by a drunken guy brandishing a “flame pistol,” according to the TASS news agency.
With a flare pistol in his hands, he was spending time in the bar with a woman and giving her flowers, the insider informed the news agency.
He fired it there after that.
According to the local emergency services, the fire has spread to almost 3,500 square meters.
Polygon describes itself as a “venue for pleasure and amusement” throughout the day and at night on its website.
It functions as a typical Russian “stolovaya” throughout the day, a relaxed eatery selling regional cuisine.
It claims to be well-liked by traffic cops and to be located in a “distribution center.”
A large fire that had enveloped the single-story structure was being fought by hundreds of emergency personnel, as seen on state television.
Amidst the blazing flames on its roof, the word “Polygon” could be seen.
According to one firefighter who spoke to regional state television, it took 50 firefighters and 20 fire engines to put out the fire.
He claimed that the possibility of the structure toppling made it very challenging to put out the fire.
One of Russia’s oldest cities and home to over 230,000 residents, Kostroma is renowned for its medieval architecture and monasteries.
