A massive fire broke out at an online retailer's warehouse in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Saturday, with footage showing heavy flames and thick black smoke rising high into the clear morning sky.
According to the Ministry of Emergencies, nearly 300 firefighters, dozens of fire trucks and helicopters battled the blaze, while workers inside worked desperately to ensure safety.
The warehouse's owner, Wild Berry's, said in a statement that all employees were evacuated and no one was injured.
However, media outlet Baza reported on its Telegram channel that workers initially struggled to escape the rapidly progressing fire and two people were hospitalized. The warehouse is located in the Pushkin district, south of St. Petersburg, the second largest city in the country.
Russian media cited by NEXTA reported that damage from the fire could reach 11 billion rubles, or about $122 million.
Smoke rises above a burning warehouse for online retailer Wildberries in St. Petersburg, Russia, January 13, 2024. (Reuters/Anton Vaganov)
Russia warns UK that sending troops to Ukraine would be a 'declaration of war'
The first alarm sounded at the warehouse around 4:20 a.m., according to preliminary data reported by Baza.
Baza posted a video showing a frenzied scene inside a warehouse, with scores of workers trying to escape the inferno by slipping through narrow doors.
The newspaper reported, citing workers, that the fire extinguishing system was not activated when the fire started on a shelf containing household chemicals. There was a strong impact at the emergency exit, causing many people to jump from the second and third floors directly onto the concrete.
“Employees said that when the fire broke out, they ran around the warehouse in fear, not knowing where to go. There were so many people that they ran around the warehouse, even though the fire was already close to the first floor. “He continued to descend from the third floor,” the report said.
Firefighters fight a fire at a warehouse in St. Petersburg, Russia, on January 13, 2024. (Reuters/Dmitry Vasiliev)
UK increases aid to Ukraine to $3.2 billion, largest annual funding since Russian invasion
As the fire consumed much of the property, fireworks stored in a warehouse began exploding inside the building, Baza said.
The cause of the massive fire, which covered 70,000 square meters, or about 75,000 square feet, was not immediately clear. The fire was rated as Category 5, the most severe. Officials said firefighters were able to prevent further spread of the infection.
Black smoke billows from a burning warehouse in St. Petersburg, Russia, stretching for miles on January 13, 2024. (Reuters/Anton Vaganov)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
State news agency TASS, cited by Newsweek, said the fire was caused by faulty electrical wiring and that emergency services said the fire alarm had been turned off due to repeated false alarms.
But Newsweek reported that a ministry official told Russian news outlet RBC that an arson investigation was underway following a brawl near the warehouse on Wednesday night. An employee from Azerbaijan was hospitalized with stab wounds, and a Tajik national was also injured. Russian security forces then raided the warehouse.
Reuters contributed to this report.
