Russia: Football-pitch-size blaze erupts at shopping centre in Moscow; 1 dead

Russian firefighters on Friday battled a fire of "7,000 square metres" that broke out overnight in a shopping centre in a Moscow suburb, emergency services said.

So far, one person is reported to have died as a result of the fire.

"In the Moscow region, firefighters are putting out a fire the size of 7,000 square metres," Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Telegram. The fire broke out at the Mega Khimki shopping centre in the northern suburb of Khimki.

Emergency services were considering "arson" as a possible cause of the massive fire, as per Russian news agency reports.

"Deliberate acts, as in arson, is being considered," Interfax news agency had quoted a source saying. Sputnik news agency had also reported that arson was suspected as a cause for the blaze.

State news agencies later quoted sources saying that safety violations were more likely the cause of the 7000m tall fire.

Videos on social media showed a huge fire, with people fleeing the burning building into a parking lot.

Mega Khimki, a large shopping and entertainment centre, is about 7km from Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. The fire is ongoing as of 9am local time (06.00 GMT).

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