A nursing home fire in northwest Russia has claimed the lives of more than 20 of its residents.

The blaze, in the Komi region, swept through the wooden building at lightning speed. Emergency services, who arrived at the scene after being alerted by locals, struggled to battle the fire in sub-zero temperatures. One fireman said: ‘‘The fire burnt all the living quarters of the building. For the moment, we are assuming that the emergency call was too late. We arrived when the home was already ablaze.’‘ While three women were rescued from the home, the exact number of casualties still remains unclear. An investigation has been launched after it was revealed the home’s alarm system failed. The blaze has once again called into question fire safety in Russia, with authorities, who run many publicly-owned buildings, accused of having lax safety regulations.More about: Accident, Russia

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