INFERNO

WATCH: Moscow Mall Fire Triggers Explosion, Killing One

Russian authorities say welding work that “did not meet safety requirements” caused the blaze.

A fire at a huge shopping mall near Moscow left one person dead on Friday, authorities said. The blaze at the Mega Khimki complex claimed the life of a security guard who was an employee at the mall, Russian state media reported. An unverified video appearing to capture the incident shows smoke and fire rising from the building before a massive explosion erupts. “The investigation established that welding work was carried out in the shopping center that did not meet safety requirements… which led to a fire in a hypermarket with an area of ​​more than 17 thousand square meters, as a result of which a security guard died,” the Investigative Committee for the Moscow Region said in a statement.