Moscow fire videos show plumes of smoke around major train stations

Videos on social media show smoke billowing into the sky over Moscow as authorities battle a massive blaze at a square where three major train stations are located.

The Moscow office of Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said a fire broke out in a two-storey warehouse on Komsomolskaya Square on Sunday afternoon.

The fire partially collapsed the ceiling between the first and second floors of the building, the agency said. It has also grown to a total area of ​​around 2,000 square meters.

“There is heavy smoke on the way,” the office said in a message published on Telegram.

“Dear residents and guests of the capital! The Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for Moscow reminds of the need to comply with fire safety regulations – remember that your life, the life of your loved ones and the safety of property depend on it.”

Multiple videos on Twitter showed black smoke rising into the sky from the fire.

Freelance journalist Sotiri Dimpinoudis divided A clip on Twitter shows the smoke as sirens wail in the background.

In a tweet, Dimpinoudis said an explosion reportedly caused the fire.

“Reports that the blast in #Moscow took place near the main train station, reports that nearby greenhouses caught fire after the blast,” Dimpinoudis said tweeted.

The Russian authorities did not confirm this and did not provide any information on the cause of the fire. news week has contacted the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations for further comment.

A post on Russian social media site VK claimed that around 10 people were trapped inside the burning warehouse, but this has not been confirmed.

According to RIA Novosti, a state news agency, seven people were evacuated from the building while more than 90 firefighters continued to battle the blaze.

Leningradsky, Yaroslavsky and Kazansky train stations are located on Komsomolskaya Square, but Russian Railways said there were no threats to passengers or disruptions to trains, RIA Novosti reported.

The Moscow fire comes a day after videos circulated on social media showing a huge fireball erupting near St Petersburg.

“Meanwhile in Russia: Something went wrong in Murino, near the city of St. Petersburg,” Julia Davis, creator of Russian Media Monitor, tweeted alongside the video.

Authorities later announced it was caused by an explosion in a gas pipeline. News published on behalf of the governor Alexander Drozdenko on the Telegram account for the Leningrad region said: “The fire is due to the depressurization of the gas pipeline.”