Firefighters are reported as claiming that cladding materials helped a fire’s rapid rise as it ripped through a high-rise apartment complex in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk – the third largest city in Siberia – sending 150 people fleeing for their lives.
The fire is believed to have started in one of the 25-storey tower’s lower floors, but spread rapidly through the entire 120-apartment complex when vinyl and plastic cladding caught light and fire spread along the exterior of the building.
All of the building’s residents are believed to have got safely out of the building. An investigation to identify formally the cause of the blaze is under way. However, local reports suggest that a welder is in police custody after allegedly causing a fire while welding on a balcony.
