eight victims
The blaze began on the first floor of the sixteen-story residential building at No. 7 Alma-Atinskaya Street. According to the Telegram channel 112, the fire spread into three rooms and a corridor, consuming furniture and personal belongings. Firefighters evacuated several residents—seven people from a hostel and a woman helped out of a second-floor apartment.
“I heard an explosion first, then smoke filled my apartment,” a resident of the fourth floor told Baza Telegram.
Emergency authorities told RIA Novosti that the fire was brought under control around 0:47, covering roughly 150 square meters. Preliminary findings point to a malfunction in electrical equipment as a possible source of ignition.
Andrey Rumyantsev, deputy head of the capital’s GUMCHS, stated that guests of the burning hostel perished because bars on the windows trapped them. Window grilles are present at the end of the building. He noted that a Sagittarius-Tracing fire alarm had been installed in the hostel, but it did not activate for reasons not yet clear.
“From 2019 to 2022, court proceedings were held at this facility multiple times. The last inspection occurred in June 2022, after which supervisory authorities issued orders and warnings.”
According to the Telegram channel of the capital’s Deptrans, Alma-Ata traffic was temporarily halted during the emergency but later resumed.
An emergency services representative told RIA Novosti that three Russians and five migrants from Central Asian countries died in the fire. Preliminary data suggest an electrical fault as the likely cause, and carbon monoxide poisoning is believed to be a key factor in the fatalities.
On his Telegram channel, the head of the capital’s investigative committee reported that four people were hospitalized and received necessary care.
criminal case
The Investigation Committee opened a criminal case under Article 238 for providing services that did not meet safety standards, resulting in the negligent death of two or more people. Law enforcement officers conducted an on-site inspection after the incident was contained.
“A fire and technical survey will be conducted to determine the exact cause of the fire,” the ministry stated.
According to the ministry’s Telegram channel, the Moscow prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation as well.
A law enforcement source told TASS that the company owning the hostel emerged only three months prior. “The owner of the hostel was registered three months ago. Its authorized capital is 25 thousand rubles, and the founder runs four other similar enterprises with the same capital, all active,” he said.
The same source added that the hostel where the deadly fire occurred three weeks earlier had already been on police radar. Telegram channel 112 reported that an audit found 144 immigrants registered at the hostel’s address under Mosmed LLC, the property holder in question.
The owners of the Rauf and Eleonora Mironov Hotel are currently being questioned by investigators.
forbidden cages
Fire safety analyst Vitaly Boyko told socialbites.ca that window railings at the hostel violate safety regulations.
“If bars exist, there must be keys or a lock easily accessible by the window. Grilles are usually welded for security, but people rarely consider fire safety,” the expert explained.
He argued that regular, systemic fire-safety inspections should occur at every facility. Hotels and hostels fall under fire regulations, and inspectors should verify compliance.
“Yet a moratorium on inspections is in place, and many ignore it. Everyone hopes it won’t affect them. Still, fire regimes and Federal Law 123 clearly outline responsibilities and procedures. Ignorance does not excuse mistakes.”