Emergency services reported a growing fire at the former furniture factory building near Moscow, in Khimki. The blaze area expanded from 1,000 square meters to about 2,300 square meters as crews battled the flames into the evening.
Investigators noted that the fire began in the evening hours on July 3. Materials used for paint and varnish were burning in a section measuring roughly 400 square meters, and the fire quickly spread, threatening much of the structure.
Officials from emergency services confirmed that the total affected area had reached 2,300 square meters while rescue teams worked to contain the blaze.
The burning workshop, part of the furniture production facility near the Sheremetyevo landing approach in Khimki Skhodnya, prompted swift action from firefighters who warned that the fire could spread throughout the building if not contained.
Earlier, a separate incident at a farmers market in Khimki, adjacent to Moscow, involved a fire that affected about 300 square meters in a building on Molodyozhny Proezd. Firefighters were able to localize the flames and limit the spread to the affected area.
In December 2022, a warehouse at an OBI store in Khimki caught fire and burned completely. Explosions were reported, waking residents of nearby homes, and the blaze was rated on the higher end of severity. One employee at the hypermarket was reported to have died as a result of the incident.
There have been other regional conflicts reported in the past, including an incident in the Perm Territory where neighbors who had been drinking fought and ended up burning one another’s bathhouse and home.