THIRTEEN people have been killed in a fire overnight at a cafe in the Russian city of Kostroma, local authorities said today. 

“According to preliminary information, 13 people fell victim to the fire,” local governor Sergei Sitnikov said on Telegram. 

Russian news agencies reported that 250 people were evacuated from the building when it caught fire at night in the city around 300km northeast of Moscow.

Sitnikov said that the blaze at the cafe, called “Poligon”, was put out at around 7.30am.

At least five other people were injured, he said, but they did not need to be hospitalised. 

Local emergency services said they received reports of the fire at around 2am, and that the blaze had spread out over 3,500 sq m. – AFP, November 5, 2022.