By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A “drunk man” fired a “flare gun” in a bar in Russia, sparking a blaze that killed at least 15 people early on Saturday.
Five others were injured.
Local authorities say hundreds of persons have been evacuated from the Poligon, a dance bar and restaurant located in a warehouse
The fire broke out in the city of Kostroma after the suspect reportedly shot a distress flare at the dancefloor in the ‘Poligon’ bar.
Russian state-owned news agency Tass reported that “the fire was likely started by a drunken man who fired a distress flare at the dance floor.”
“He was at the bar with a woman, to whom he offered flowers with a distress flare in his hands”. “He went to the dance floor and shot,” it added, citing the emergency services.
An initial death toll of 13 later increased to 15.
Governor of the Kostroma region, Sergei Sitnikov, said five people were slightly injured and received medical assistance.
The roof of the cafe collapsed during the blaze, which emergency services said started at around 2 a.m. local time and spread over an area of 3,500 m2.
It was put out early Saturday morning, with 20 fire engines and 50 firefighters attending the scene.
Russian police are searching for the person who used the flare gun, a signalling device typically used in emergency situations. A criminal investigation has been launched.
On its website, the Poligon describes itself as a traditional Russian brasserie by day and a dance bar by night. The venue is very popular with traffic policemen, it says.
