At least eight people have died in a large office building fire near Moscow, the regional Governor Andrey Vorobyov has said.
Emergency officials told the state-owned Tass news agency that just one person was rescued from the blaze at the burning building in Fryazino, about 25km (15.5 miles) north-east of the capital.
Two people were killed after they jumped from a window, while six died when the interior of the office collapsed in the blaze, Mr Voroyov wrote in a post to social media.
Footage online showed thick smoke billowing from the upper floors of the eight-storey complex.
There are conflicting reports about the building’s purpose. It once homed the Platan Research Institute and defence industry, according to Tass.
A statement to the agency from Ruselectronics, a Russia-owned electronics organisation, said the building has been privately owned since the 1990s.
However, opposition media outlets recently reported that Platan was based in the building as late as 2023.
Mr Vorobyov said that a 34-year-old man had been taken to hospital in a serious condition, while two firefighters were also being treated for injuries sustained in the blaze. Local emergency services said the man was the only person rescued from the blaze.
Reuters Smoke and flames billow from an office block near Moscow.Reuters
Emergency ministry officials said over 130 people and two helicopters were working to fight the fire, but that much of it had been “localised” by 20:00 local time (18:00 BST).
It is not immediately clear what caused the fire, but one eyewitness told Tass that it broke out on the sixth floor before spreading. Mr Vorobyov said that around 30 companies rented office space in the building, with the fate of two employees in the building remaining unknown.
Mr Vorobyov added that a criminal case has been opened and prosecutors are investigating what sparked the blaze.
Russia
BBC