According to the rescue services, the fire broke out around 2 a.m. (12 a.m. CET) in the popular dance bar "Poligon" and quickly spread throughout the building. It was only deleted at 7:30 a.m. According to the authorities, around 250 people were able to be brought to safety in time.

A representative of the rescue workers told the Tass news agency that the fire was apparently caused by a drunk. "He was hanging out with a woman in the bar, giving her flowers and holding a flare gun the whole time," Tass quoted the rep as saying. "Then he went onto the dance floor and fired them off".

The police later arrested a suspect and handed him over to the investigating authorities. It was initially unclear whether it was the drunk. The committee merely stated that criminal proceedings had been opened against the detainee for "negligent homicide".

A video released by investigators showed the extent of the damage in the building, which housed the bar as well as a distribution warehouse. The roof had collapsed, and the burnt-out interior of the restaurant was barely visible. According to the fire brigade, the fire had spread to a total area of ​​3500 square meters.

Eyewitnesses told local media how panicked guests rushed to the exit of the bar, obstructing each other. A man managed to break open a locked door and possibly save lives.

A total of 50 firefighters and 20 fire engines were needed to extinguish the fire, a firefighter said on local television. According to him, the extinguishing work was particularly difficult because of the risk of the building collapsing.

During the day, according to its website, the "Poligon" is a traditional, simple restaurant that serves hearty home cooking for little money and is particularly popular with traffic cops. At night it turns into a dance bar.

According to a report by the Russian news agency Ria Novosti, the "Poligon" is owned by Ichtijar Mirzoyev, a local MP for the Kremlin's United Russia party. He therefore promised the bereaved comprehensive support.

Kostroma is located around 300 kilometers northeast of Moscow at the confluence of the river of the same name and the Volga. The city, which has around 230,000 inhabitants, is one of the oldest cities in Russia and is famous for its monasteries and medieval architecture.

Deadly fires keep breaking out in Russia because protective measures were handled too carelessly. In 2009, more than 150 people died in a nightclub fire in the Ural city of Perm, and nine years later a fire in a shopping center in Kemerovo, Siberia, killed 60 people.