Several killed in fire at Russian shopping center. People jump from windows to escape the flames.
A fire broke out at Solnechny, a popular market in Sterlitamak, one of the largest cities in Russia’s Republic of Bashkortostan, Ufa1.ru reports.
The fire killed three people and injured four, the Emergency Situations Ministry said. According to the ministry, the blaze broke out in a four-story brick building that houses the market’s trade and services complex, and 17 people were evacuated from the premises.
A criminal case has been opened over causing the deaths of two or more people through negligence.
Witnesses told Ufa1.ru that the fire alarm may have failed to go off during the blaze. People jumped from windows on the building’s upper floors, and some fell from makeshift ladders that passersby and market employees used in an attempt to rescue them. The complex’s management denies that its alarm system failed.
The local Health Ministry reported that those injured in the fire are in the hospital. One of them is in serious condition. A 16-year-old girl and a 27-year-old woman who jumped from the third floor are in moderate condition. Baza, a Russian security services-linked Telegram channel, claims seven people were injured.
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