A fire broke out in a shopping mall in Russia’s republic of North Ossetia early Wednesday, killing a woman, local authorities said.
The blaze at the four-story Alania Mall in Vladikavkaz, the main city in the North Caucasus region, injured another person, the regional governor Sergei Meniaylo said.
Telegram news channels claimed the fire erupted before the shopping center opened early Wednesday and killed a cleaner.
Images broadcast on television showed a spiral of smoke atop the rainbow-colored building. Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said the blaze broke out on one of the upper floors.
A security official told Russian news agencies that an explosion preceded the fire but the origin of the blaze was not yet known.
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