A major fire in St. Petersburg covers the city in smoke. The warehouse of an online wholesaler is ablaze. Photos show the unimaginable extent.
Saint Petersburg – A devastating fire has hit the Russian city of St. Petersburg, the country's second largest city. Firefighters struggle to contain the massive flames while a huge cloud of smoke covers the city.
Fire in St. Petersburg: Online retailer Wildberries warehouse is on fire
On Saturday (January 13th), a fire broke out in a warehouse belonging to the online retailer Wildberries. The company, which is comparable to Amazon in Russia, stores a variety of products in this building. The cause of the fire remains unclear.
The fire is spreading at an alarming rate. By the afternoon, 70,000 square meters had already been affected, according to Russian civil protection. Russian media are already reporting damage amounting to 10 to 11 billion rubles (around 114 million euros).
Pictures of major fire go viral: “The entire south of St. Petersburg is covered in unimaginable smoke”
Images of the enormous cloud of smoke spread quickly on the Internet. Parts of the city are reportedly completely blacked out. Anton Gerashenko, adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, posted photos and videos on
Was the major fire caused by arson? An anonymous source informed the RBC news portal that investigators are considering a criminal background. However, so far there is no evidence of this.
No injuries in the Wildberries warehouse in St. Petersburg
One positive news: It appears that no one in the warehouse was injured. Wildberries said via Telegram that everyone who was in the building had been brought to safety.
A similar incident occurred in Berlin in August last year. A major fire broke out in a warehouse there and an immense cloud of smoke billowed over the city. However, only 5,000 square meters were affected.
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