At least 2 dead as fire engulfs Russian office block

About 30 companies rented space in the office block, two of which had employees working there at the time of the fire, the governor said.

“There were also oxygen cylinders in the building, which triggered explosions. This led to the collapse of the floor slabs,” he added.

The blaze spread to about 5,000 square metres before being contained, according to emergency services.

Deadly fires are common in Russia, which has for years suffered from lax safety standards and struggled to modernise older buildings with alarms and firefighting equipment.

A criminal case has been opened and investigators are establishing the circumstances of the fire, the governor said.