Kostroma is a city of around 270,000 people, 300 km (190 miles)
north-east of Moscow on the banks of the river Volga.
The fire took place in the early hours of the morning at
Polygon, a multi-purpose recreation venue used as a cafe,
nightclub and bar. Rescuers said 250 people were evacuated from
the building.
State media cited investigators as saying the fire started after
a man fired a flare gun indoors, setting the ceiling alight.
Police have now detained a man in connection with the incident,
the interior ministry said.
"After firing a flare, decorative elements on the ceiling caught
fire and the fire began to spread instantly. Very quickly the
room began to fill with acrid smoke and the evacuation exits
were difficult to see. There was pushing and panic," TASS news
agency reported, citing a source.
Most of those killed in the fire had been found in the smoking
room, utility room and near the toilets, TASS reported, citing
emergency services.
"As a result of the fire, 13 people died; the number of dead and
injured is being clarified," the Investigating Committee said in
a statement.
The fire was extinguished as of 7:29 a.m. (0429 GMT), according
to the regional governor.
Video shared by investigators showed firefighters spraying water
on what appeared to be the smouldering, collapsed roof of the
building. According to rescuers, the fire covered an area of
3,500 square metres.
Russia's emergency ministry said it had not recently carried out
a fire safety inspection of the premises due to its
classification as a small business.
There have been at least five other fires at restaurants since
the start of the year, of which two resulted in deaths.
In 2009, 156 people were killed after a fire broke out at the
Lame Horse nightclub in the city of Perm, sparking calls for
tougher fire safety laws in a country where deadly blazes happen
on a regular basis.
(Reporting by Caleb Davis; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Christina
Fincher)
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