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A massive fire swept through Pravoberezhnny Market in St. Petersburg's Nevsky district on Wednesday evening, injuring at least two people and prompting the evacuation of 100 individuals as firefighters battled flames that consumed an estimated 1,500 square meters of the historic Soviet-era complex.
The blaze erupted around 5:00 PM local time at the two-story market building located at 16 Ulitsa Dybenko. The fire rapidly escalated from an initial 50 square meters to 300 square meters before engulfing 1,500 square meters of the structure, driven by high fire load materials stored inside the building. Emergency responders localized the flames by approximately 7:22 PM, though extinguishing efforts continued into the evening.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations (MChS) deployed 96 personnel and 26 units of equipment to combat the inferno. Authorities assigned the incident a complexity rank of 2, reflecting the scale and challenge of the operation. Thick black smoke visible from across the city prompted road closures on Iskrovsky Prospekt as emergency crews worked to contain the blaze.
Witnesses reported loud explosions throughout the incident, with dramatic video footage showing flames consuming the market pavilion while dense plumes of black smoke billowed into the sky. At least two people sustained injuries during the fire, with one individual possibly hurt after jumping from the building to escape the flames. A 52-year-old woman suffered carbon monoxide poisoning from smoke inhalation.
The Pravoberezhnny Market, formerly known as Nevsky Collective Farm Market, stands as a Soviet modernist structure measuring approximately 25 by 100 meters. Built between 1979 and 1983, the building gained cultural recognition for its appearance in the 1989 Soviet film "Interdevochka."
The market has faced ongoing scrutiny over fire safety compliance, with authorities conducting multiple inspections in recent years. The most recent fire safety check occurred in November 2024, just weeks before Tuesday's blaze. The complex has also been embroiled in disputes with city authorities over various regulatory matters.
The Nevsky district prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the fire's origin. Authorities have not determined what sparked the blaze or whether any safety violations contributed to its rapid spread through the building.
Emergency officials continue assessing the full extent of damage to the market complex, which serves as a significant commercial hub in Russia's second-largest city. The historic structure's fate remains uncertain as investigators work to determine the cause and evaluate structural integrity following the fire.
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