Russian nightclub fire kills 13

Thirteen people died when a fire broke out at a crowded nightclub in the Russian city of Kostroma early on Saturday, officials said.

The fire started around 2:30 am in Polygon — an entertainment venue with a bar, restaurant and large dance floor — after a man fired a flare gun at the ceiling, TASS news agency said.

“Very quickly the room began to fill with smoke and the evacuation exits were difficult to see. There was jostling and panic,” the agency explained, citing an eyewitness in Kostroma, which is about 300 kilometers northeast of Moscow.

In video footage posted on social media, people can be heard screaming as what appears to be a large cloud of thick smoke expands out of a fire in the ceiling.

Rescue teams said 250 people were evacuated from the building.

“The flames were horrible, burning on several sides at once,” another witness said.

Video shared by investigators showed firefighters splashing water on the burning, collapsed roof of the building. According to rescuers, the fire covered an area of ​​3,500 square meters and took about five hours to put out.

A 23-year-old man was detained in connection with the incident, investigators said.

Prosecutors also launched an investigation into the establishment itself, after discovering that several evacuation exits were blocked.

In 2009, 156 people died after a fire broke out at the Lame Horse nightclub in the city of Perm, prompting calls for tougher fire safety laws in a country where deadly fires regularly happen.

Local authorities declared Monday a day of mourning.