A fire that torched a Russian nightclub early on Saturday resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen people.
The event happened at Polygon, a one-story venue in the city of Kostroma, about 2:30 in the night, according to the Associated Press. About 250 people were evacuated from the structure, which doubles as a bar and cafe bar, shortly after the fire started. According to the authorities, the fire killed at least 15 individuals and injured five more.
Local media reports claim that as firefighters worked to put out the flames, treat the injured, and look for a suspect, the roof of the venue collapsed. According to investigators, the fire started when a customer fired a flare gun when a woman rejected his advances.
“He was spending time in the bar with a woman, ordered her flowers, with a flare gun in his hands,” a witness told TASS news agency, as reported by Al Jazeera. “Then he went to the dance floor and fired it.”
According to reports, police have located and detained the suspect.