Injuries reported after fire at Moscow business center

Two people have been injured following a large blaze at the Grand Setun Plaza office building in Moscow on Friday morning.

“The fire in the Grand Setun Plaza business center has been put out. Two victims sought medical attention, their lives are not in danger, one of them received medical help on the spot. Before the traffic will get going again, free ground transport in this area has been put in place, with the number of buses on the nearest routes increased,” Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin wrote.

According to various local news outlets, between 15 and 20 people had been trapped inside. The Moscow Operational Headquarters said that 125 people were rescued from the building by the emergency services.

Sergey Zheltov, the head of the Moscow Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM), suffered a heart attack following efforts to put out the blaze in the Grand Setun Plaza business center, and has been taken to the hospital, EMERCOM Deputy Minister Ilya Denisov told RIA Novosti.

“At the moment, the head of the Moscow Directorate has been admitted to the hospital. The events at the scene triggered a massive heart attack,” he said.

A video from the scene shows a thick cloud of smoke coming from the facade of the building. The Baza telegram channel reports that the blaze engulfed the first five floors of the building and that those unable to escape have taken refuge on the sixth and seventh floors, as well as the roof.

Helicopters have been deployed to drop water on the burning building, and hundreds of emergency personnel are at the scene, reports claim.

Authorities believe the fire was likely caused by a short circuit, news agency Interfax has indicated, citing a person familiar with the matter. Other reports say investigators are looking into whether arson was involved.

The fire in the business center, located in south-West Moscow, started around 10am local time. The affected area is around 1,000 square metres, reports have outlined.