Fire breaks out at shopping center in Russia’s Rostov-on-Don, spreads to nearby apartment building
A fire broke out at a shopping center in Russia’s Rostov-on-Don early Monday. According to Interfax, the blaze began at 5:28 a.m. local time and spread across roughly 300 square meters (3,229 square feet).
The flames reached a neighboring five-story apartment building, prompting the evacuation of its residents. The fire there covered about 800 square meters (8,611 square feet).
By 7:20 a.m., firefighters had contained the blaze at the shopping center, and by 7:46, the Emergency Situations Ministry reported that open flames in the apartment building had been extinguished. The fire was fully out by 8:15.
Preliminary reports suggest the fire was likely caused by a short circuit in a sign mounted on the shopping center’s façade, according to the local news outlet 161.ru.