ROSTOV-ON-DON, August 22. /TASS/. The police will look into what prompted a large-scale fire in Russia’s southern city of Rostov-on-Don, all versions will be looked into, not only arson, Head of the Russian Interior Ministry’s regional department Oleg Agarkov said on Tuesday.
"However, this version [arson] will be considered as well. We will work in close collaboration with the Investigative Committee," he noted.
Meanwhile, head of the regional Emergencies Ministry department Valery Sinkov said at a meeting of the emergency response center that, according to preliminary data, the fire began in a garbage dump located in close proximity to residential buildings.
On Monday, a massive fire broke out in Rostov-on-Don’s historical center. Private houses on an area of about 10,000 square meters were affected by blazes. At 18:53 Moscow Time it was announced that the fire had been localized. The fire destroyed about 120 buildings, of these nearly 100 were residential facilities.
A state of emergency has been declared in the Rostov-on-Don region. No one died in the fire. According to the latest information, 58 people have sought medical attention, nine of them have been taken to hospitals. About 600 people have been evacuated from the nearby houses. A criminal case has been opened under the section of the Russian Criminal Code titled "Deliberate destruction or damage to someone else’s property."