Powerful fire erupts at "Laplandia" shopping centre in Russia's Kemerovo VIDEO

A major fire broke out at the Laplandia shopping centre in Kemerovo, Russia, on the morning of August 20, according to reports from the Telegram channel 112 cited by Caliber.Az.

The blaze reportedly engulfed the building’s facade, prompting emergency services to respond immediately. Employees and visitors were evacuated as the fire was classified as a second, increased level of complexity. At the time of reporting, there were no confirmed casualties.

Kuzbass Governor Ilya Seredyuk provided an update on his Telegram channel, stating that the fire has been extinguished and that emergency personnel continue to work at the scene. He noted that the fire is believed to have originated outside the building.

Firefighters sprayed the shopping centre’s facade to fully contain the flames, and authorities confirmed that all people inside the building were safely evacuated.

This incident follows a series of recent fires at shopping centres in Russia. On July 24, a large fire at a shopping centre in Novoshakhtinsk, Rostov Region, engulfed 1,300 square meters and required 84 specialists and 29 pieces of equipment to contain; one firefighter died during the operation.

Earlier, on July 6, more than 350 visitors were evacuated from Moscow’s Metropolis shopping center due to a fire, with no injuries reported.

By Tamilla Hasanova