RT reported that the fire broke out in the early morning, causing a powerful explosion and destroying the entire building.
The fire spread to about 7,000 square meters before rescue forces tried to control and prevent damage to nearby buildings.
A fire broke out at an OBI retail store, located in the Mega Khimki shopping complex in the northern suburbs of Moscow.
Mr. Sergey Poletykin - head of the regional branch of the Ministry of Emergency Situations - confirmed to the media that 1 person was killed.
According to Chief Prosecutor Serge Zabaturin, the victim worked at the shopping mall. According to some information in the press, this person was a security guard.
The fire alarm was turned off at around 6am, Moscow time. Although initially relatively small, the fire spread quickly after causing a large explosion.
OBI sells home renovation materials, including fire-prone paint and vecni, stored in a warehouse in the home area.
Initially, there were concerns that the fire would spread to other stores in the same location, where some of the large retailers were, but firefighters controlled the fire for about two and a half hours. Mr. Poletykin said that by 10:45 a.m., the fire department had extinguished the entire fire.
However, all business activities in the complex will remain closed on December 9 until further notice.
The part of the building where OBI was located was destroyed in the fire, the roof collapsed and only the load-bearing frame remained. Estimates put the damage at $300 million to $480 million.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Preliminary reports show electrical failure or negligence in welding.
The store was previously owned by Germany but was sold to domestic operators earlier this year due to EU sanctions on Russia.
