In this handout photo released by Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, firefighters extinguish a fire of a cafe in Kostroma, Russia, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. Russia emergency officials say a fire in a cafe has killed 15 people in a city north of Moscow. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)In this handout photo released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, firefighters try to extinguish a fire at a cafe in Kostroma 340 kilometers (210 miles) north of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. Russian authorities say a fire in a cafe in the Russian city of Kostroma killed 15 people and injured five others. The blaze erupted in the early hours after someone apparently used a flare gun during a dispute. Rescuers were able to evacuate 250 people. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
The governor of the Kostroma region, Sergei Sitnikov, said 13 people died in the fire and five more were slightly injured. Russian news agency Interfax cited local emergency officials as saying that the death toll stood at 15. The contradicting numbers couldn’t be immediately reconciled.
In this handout photo released by Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, firefighters extinguish a fire of a cafe in Kostroma, Russia, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. Russia emergency officials say a fire in a cafe has killed 15 people in a city north of Moscow. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
The blaze erupted in the early hours after someone apparently used a flare gun, according to the authorities. The Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported that a brawl erupted in the cafe shortly before the fire, but it wasn’t immediately clear if it had anything to do with the use of a flare gun.
In this handout photo released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, firefighters try to extinguish a fire at a cafe in Kostroma, Russia, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. Russia emergency officials said the fire killed multiple people in Kostroma, north of Moscow. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
Rescuers were able to evacuate 250 people. The roof of the cafe collapsed during the fire, which engulfed an area of 3,500 square meters (more than 37,000 square feet). Firefighters spent five hours battling the blaze, and a dozen residents of a nearby residential buildings were evacuated as a precaution.
In this handout photo released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, firefighters try to extinguish a fire at a cafe in Kostroma, Russia, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. Russia emergency officials said the fire killed multiple people in Kostroma, north of Moscow. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
A criminal investigation has been launched, and the police have arrested a suspect.
In this handout photo released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, firefighters try to extinguish a fire at a cafe in Kostroma, Russia, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. Russia emergency officials said the fire killed multiple people in Kostroma, north of Moscow. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
Ikhtiyar Mirzoyev, a member of the regional legislature and owner of the cafe, promised assistance to those affected by the fire.
In this handout photo released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, firefighters try to extinguish a fire at a cafe in Kostroma 340 kilometers (210 miles) north of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. Russian authorities say a fire in a cafe in the Russian city of Kostroma killed 15 people and injured five others. The blaze erupted in the early hours after someone apparently used a flare gun during a dispute. Rescuers were able to evacuate 250 people. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
Kostroma, a riverside city of 270,000, is located roughly 340 kilometers (210 miles) north of Moscow.
In this handout photo released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, firefighters try to extinguish a fire at a cafe in Kostroma 340 kilometers (210 miles) north of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. Russian authorities say a fire in a cafe in the Russian city of Kostroma killed 15 people and injured five others. The blaze erupted in the early hours after someone apparently used a flare gun during a dispute. Rescuers were able to evacuate 250 people. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
It wasn’t the first time that pyrotechnics caused a deadly fire at a recreational venue in Russia. In 2009, more than 150 people were killed in a blaze at the Lame Horse nightclub in the city of Perm that erupted after someone set off fireworks.
This image taken from video released by the Russian Investigative Committee, shows the scene a cafe after a fire in Kostroma 340 kilometers (210 miles) north of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. Russian authorities say a fire in a cafe in the Russian city of Kostroma killed 15 people and injured five others. The blaze erupted in the early hours after someone apparently used a flare gun during a dispute. Rescuers were able to evacuate 250 people. (Russian Investigative Committee via AP)In this image taken from video released by the Russian Investigative Committee, a Russian Investigative Committee employee stands at the scene of a cafe after a fire in Kostroma 340 kilometers (210 miles) north of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. Russian authorities say a fire in a cafe in the Russian city of Kostroma killed 15 people and injured five others. The blaze erupted in the early hours after someone apparently used a flare gun during a dispute. Rescuers were able to evacuate 250 people. (Russian Investigative Committee via AP)In this handout photo released by Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, firefighters extinguish a fire of a cafe in Kostroma, Russia, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. Russia emergency officials say a fire in a cafe has killed 15 people in a city north of Moscow. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
