St. Petersburg: Nearly 800 people were evacuated after a massive fire broke out in the Lenta supermarket in St Petersburg on Saturday morning. Quoting sources, Sputnik reported the fire erupted in the supermarket at 8.30 am local time due to an electrical malfunction and quickly swept through the entire building and the roof, threatening the lives of many people, including the staff as well as the customers.
Emergency services have also confirmed that the roof of the shopping mall had collapsed on an area of 3,800 sqm. No casualties were reported until going to press. Another emergency services source said choppers—Mi-8 and Ka-32 —were alerted at Pulkovo Airport to contain the fire.