Massive fire engulfs Mega Khimki shopping mall in Moscow region as explosions heard; Watch

A massive fire broke out in the OBI store in the Mega Khimki shopping mall in the city of Khimki in the Moscow region on Friday as the regional department of the Russian Ministry of Emergencies, reported Sputnik. The department shared that the fire covered an area of 7,000 square meters. The cans that were filled with paint and aerosols exploded in the store. To extinguish the fire, around 30 people and nine units of equipment were engaged. 

According to the press office of Russia's Ministry of Emergencies, "The fire occurred at 7:05 a.m. (Moscow time, 04:00 GMT) was assigned difficulty number four of five." Further, the ministry added that the ministry's aviation has been put on alert due to the fire and is set to assist in extinguishing operations. The fire in Moscow was accompanied by explosions, as per local media.

Firefighting ops underway

A column of black smoke is rising above the building’s section housing a store of OBI, a retail chain of home improvement supplies, reported the Russian local media agency.  A spokesperson from Moscow Region’s emergencies ministry department said, "The building’s roof has caught fire. (The total affected) the area is 250 square meters. The blaze was classified as a category three fire (on a scale of five)."  Moscow region's prosecutor's office said that as per the preliminary information, there are no casualties, reported Telegram. However, an official investigation has been launched that will examine compliance with Russian law, including fire safety.