A huge fire engulfs a shopping center in the suburbs of Moscow News

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At least one person died in a fire that broke out in the Mega Khimki shopping center.

Russian firefighters are trying to put out a huge fire that engulfed one of the largest shopping centers in a suburb of the capital, Moscow, which led to the collapse of part of the structure and the death of one person.

Authorities said the fire spread early Friday over an area of ​​about 7,000 square meters (75,000 square feet) in the Mega Khimki shopping and entertainment center.

And the Tass news agency, citing the head of the Russian Emergencies Ministry Sergey Politkin, reported that at least one person was killed in the accident.

Emergency services said more than 70 firefighters and 20 fire engines were working at the site. They said the work was held up by the layout of the terminal, which is located about 7 kilometers (four miles) from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

“Due to the collapse of the roof, the fire instantly spread to a large area,” the Moscow Region emergency services said on Telegram.

The Mega Khimki shopping center in Moscow is on fire. The fire area is about 7000 square meters. pic.twitter.com/GXxKB3vbxs

– Nexta (@nexta_tv) December 9, 2022

Russia’s Investigative Committee, which is investigating major crimes, said it was looking into the cause of the fire. The head of the Moscow Region Emergency Services Agency said the fire appeared to have been caused by a violation of safety regulations during repair work on the building.

A worker told TASS news agency that a short circuit may have caused the fire, followed by an explosion that spread flames.

Russian news agencies had previously reported that the emergency services were considering “arson” as a possible cause.

Videos on social media showed a huge fire, as people fled the burning building into a parking lot.

Mega Khimki was home to a large number of Western retail chains before the companies left Russia in the aftermath of the Ukraine War, including one of the first IKEA stores in the Moscow region.

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