Director of the company and the possible culprit of the fire: two suspects were detained in Kostroma in the case of a fire in a cafe

As part of the investigation of criminal cases into the death of people in a fire in the Polygon cafe in Kostroma, two people were detained, the press service of the Investigative Committee for the Kostroma Region reports.

So, in the case of “providing services that do not meet safety requirements, which negligently caused the death of two or more persons,” the director of Empire LLC, which organized the work of the institution, was detained.

The second defendant was identified and detained in cooperation with operational police officers, the UK reported.

“A 23-year-old man was detained in a criminal case on causing death by negligence to two or more persons (part 3 of article 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), who is suspected of using pyrotechnics in a cafe, which, according to preliminary data, led to a fire,” the message says.

At the same time, a representative of law enforcement agencies, in a conversation with TASS, said that the detainee admitted his guilt.

“The man who fired a rocket launcher at the Polygon club, resulting in a fire, pleaded guilty to the deed.

He explained that the reason was the conflict in the club, ”said the agency’s interlocutor.

The prosecutor's office of the Kostroma region emphasized that the progress and results of the investigations are under special control of the regional prosecutor.

According to the prosecutor's office, part of the evacuation exits was closed in the institution.

“The facts of inaction of officials in terms of organizing inspections of the tenant of the building on Nikitskaya Street, who provided catering services, have been established,” RIA Novosti reports.

day of mourning

Monday, November 7, is declared a day of mourning in the Kostroma region.

On this day, flags will be flown at half-mast in the region and entertainment events will be canceled, including entertainment programs on regional television and radio.

According to the latest data, 13 people became victims of the incident.

“The bodies of 13 dead were found at the site of the fire,” said Alexei Grekov, deputy head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Kostroma Region, refuting the information that appeared in the media about 15 dead.

According to the governor of the region, Sergei Sitnikov, the mayor's office of Kostroma was instructed to help the relatives of the victims in organizing the funeral;

a resolution is being prepared from the regional administration on the provision of material assistance to the families of the victims.

A meeting of the commission for the prevention and elimination of emergencies was also held under the leadership of Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Emergency Situations Ilya Denisov, who arrived in the region to establish the circumstances of the fire and evaluate the actions of operational services. 

“Everyone worked on time, within the framework of the regulations, within the framework of the orders of the ministry.

The National Guard, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Internal Affairs - the services that provided the issues of rescuing people, fire fighting - worked on time, ”said Sitnikov.

The press service of the governor of the Kostroma region noted that extinguishing the fire was complicated by the threat of roof collapse and a complex internal layout.

At the moment, work is underway to dismantle the burnt structures.

Cafe activities

The building in which the Polygon cafe was located was not subjected to inspections, the press service of the Russian Emergencies Ministry reported.

“The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia did not conduct an audit in relation to this building due to the fact that the owner of the said object was an individual entrepreneur classified as a micro-enterprise (small business), and the tenant Polygon LLC ceased operations at this object in 2019, of which he notified supervisory authority in writing," the statement said.

Along with this, the investigators interrogated the director of Empire LLC, which organized the work of the institution.

The regional Investigative Committee indicated that an investigation team continues to work at the scene of the fire, actions are being taken to establish all the circumstances and causes of the incident.

At the same time, Ikhtiyar Mirzoev, the owner of the burned-out cafe, who is a deputy of the Kostroma Regional Duma, promised to provide assistance to the families of those killed in the fire.

“I instructed my employees to provide all necessary assistance to the investigating authorities.

I will provide all necessary assistance to the families and friends of the victims.

I will provide families with both financial and organizational support, ”RIA Novosti quotes him.