Kostroma: Deadly fire in Russian bar started by 'flare gun'

A fire in a bar in the Russian city of Kostroma has killed at least 13 people.

Authorities say it may have begun when a drunk customer at the nightclub fired a flare gun on the dance floor, Russian media report.

The fire reportedly spread when parts of the lighting rig on the ceiling ignited, quickly filling the room with smoke. It took several hours for it to be extinguished.

A suspect, said to be a local resident, has been arrested.

It took emergency workers several hours to put out the fire, which began at around 02:00 local time (23:00 GMT) in Kostroma, 300 km (180 miles) northeast of Moscow.

Russian media reported that the blaze could have started after a drunk man fired a flare gun on the dance floor.

"He was spending time with a woman, ordering flowers for her while he held a flare gun. Then he went to the dance floor and fired it," a law-enforcement source told Russia's Tass state news agency.

Other Russian media reported that 15 people had died and a further 49 needed medical attention, although that has not been confirmed by authorities.

The exact number of people inside the club at the time is not known, but 250 people were able to evacuate.

Images of the single-storey building engulfed in flames were shown on Russian state television, which said some safety measures had not been properly observed.

According to BBC Russian, the company which manages the club is owned by a local politician.

In 2009, 159 people died in a nightclub in the Russian city of Perm.