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At least 15 killed in Russian nightclub fire

The blaze broke out after a flare gun was fired, according to officials in the city of Kostroma.
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/ Source: The Associated Press

A fire in a nightclub in the Russian city of Kostroma killed 15 people and injured five others on Saturday, local authorities said.

The blaze erupted in the early hours after someone apparently used a flare gun during a dispute, authorities said.

Rescuers were able to evacuate 250 people. The governor of the Kostroma region, Sergei Sitnikov, said five people were slightly injured and received medical assistance.

The fire broke out at Polygon, a multi-purpose recreation venue used as a cafe, nightclub and bar.

Firefighters try to extinguish a fatal fire in Kostroma, Russia
Firefighters try to extinguish a fatal fire in Kostroma, Russia on Nov. 5, 2022.Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP

The roof of the nightclub collapsed during the fire.

A criminal investigation has been launched, and the police are searching for the person who used the flare gun.

Kostroma, a riverside city of 270,000, is located roughly 210 miles north of Moscow.

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.