Russian investigators charge a Kemerovo fire chief with criminal negligence

Russia’s Federal Investigative Committee has charged Sergey Genin, the chief firefighter who responded to the deadly shopping-mall fire in Kemerovo, with criminal negligence.

According to a statement published by investigators on Wednesday, Genin ignored eyewitness reports that dozens of people were trapped in the shopping center’s movie theater on the fourth floor, and ignored eyewitnesses when they told firefighters that the closest route to the theater was a stairwell near the building's western entrance. Instead, Genin led his men to a staircase at the opposite end of the building, wasting time and leaving people to burn to death.

Investigators say the mistake killed 37 people.