Huge fire engulfs shopping centre in Moscow suburb | News
No immediate reports of casualties from the blaze raging through the Mega Khimki shopping centre.
Russian firefighters are trying to put out a massive blaze that engulfed one of the largest shopping centres in a suburb of the capital, Moscow, leading to the collapse of part of the structure.
The fire early on Friday spread over an area of about 7,000 square metres (75,000 square feet) in the Mega Khimki shopping centre, authorities said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Emergency services were considering “arson” as a possible cause, Russian news agencies reported. “Deliberate acts, as in arson, is being considered,” Interfax news agency quoted a source as saying.
A worker told TASS news agency a short circuit might have caused the fire, followed by an explosion that caused the flames to spread.
Videos on social media showed a huge fire, with people fleeing the burning building into a parking lot.
The “Mega Khimki” shopping center in #Moscow is on fire. The fire area is about 7000 m². pic.twitter.com/GXxKB3vbxs
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) December 9, 2022
Mega Khimki had been home to a large number of Western retail chains before the companies’ departure from Russia in the wake of the Ukraine war, including one of the first IKEA stores in the Moscow area.
