10 minutes late
A report about the fire at the Mega Khimki shopping center in Khimki city district, along Leningradskoe shosse at the 23rd kilometer, building 1, reached emergency services at 05:59 in the morning, according to the Moscow Region Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergencies.
The shopping complex houses the OBI hypermarket, Auchan, Mega, and dozens of other shops.
The head of TsUKS GUMChS for the Moscow Region, Ivan Gusev, stated that the first firefighting units arrived at the scene at 06:19, twenty minutes after the alarm. The hypermarket reportedly had a burning roof, and regulations for urban areas require first-arriving units within ten minutes. By that standard, responders were considered ten minutes late.
Nevertheless, a firefighter on the scene told Shot that the first fire department reached the hypermarket by 06:02.
RIA Novosti cited the emergency services as saying that the Russian Ministry of Emergencies aviation was placed on alert, though the Baza Telegram channel noted its deployment became impossible due to explosions in the building.
Difficulties with explosions and extinguishing
The Baza channel reported that the fire began in the OBI store’s warehouse, where furniture and wooden structures were stored, before spreading to the entire supermarket and triggering explosions. A source from the emergency services told RIA Novosti that paint and varnish products, including paint cans and aerosols, were exploding.
“As the roof collapsed and fresh oxygen surged in, strong convective currents formed, pushing the fire rapidly across a wide area,” the source explained.
The extinguishing operation faced challenges due to the building’s structural features and the roof collapse. About 130 personnel and 41 pieces of equipment were involved in the effort.
TASS reported that the fire nearly destroyed the OBI hypermarket, leaving only the frame’s supporting structures. The Ministry of Emergency Situations initially labeled the incident with a high degree of complexity and later elevated it to the maximum fourth level on a five-tier scale.
According to Baza, emergency teams were temporarily evacuated from the building to escape explosions and collapses. The channel even posted a video showing an explosion and people fleeing debris from the store.
cause of fire
By 08:25 local time, the Moscow Region Main Directorate said the fire was localized across about 7,000 square meters. Later, TASS cited the ministry’s press service stating that open burning in the hypermarket was eliminated, with the national fire area eventually estimated at as much as 17,000 square meters.
RIA Novosti reported one fatality, identified by the prosecutor’s office as a mall employee. The Moscow District Prosecutor’s Office announced it would oversee emergency checks, determine causes, and assess compliance with fire safety laws. Khimki’s city prosecutor Denis Andreev joined the scene to coordinate law enforcement and emergency responses.
TASS noted that authorities in the UK filed a lawsuit alleging safety service failures related to welding work on the project when the fire occurred, while the department emphasized that improper procedures may have contributed to the incident.
RIA Novosti quoted the All-Russian Association of Insurers, which estimated that the OBI fire, including damage to vehicles, could reach 20–30 billion rubles. Baza sources claimed that roof work on Mega Khimki, which sparked the fire, was performed by the shopping center’s contractors. It was noted that no tenant, including OBI, was authorized to conduct such work independently. A fire safety inspection conducted two weeks prior reportedly found no violations.
eyewitnesses
Local resident Irina, who lives near the hypermarket, described the center as nestled between apartment blocks, where parents often walk with children even in the cold. She recalled a thumping, rolling explosion sound and a shaking building resembling an earthquake shortly after the blast. She noted that the explosion occurred around 06:15 when few shoppers were inside, though staff and security were typically prepared for store openings.
Another witness said the early morning blasts woke him. A Khimki resident named Anastasia described waking at 06:18 to a roaring noise and a bed that trembled violently, with the incident unfolding within about ten to fifteen minutes.