MOSCOW, March 29. /TASS/. Fire safety inspections are being conducted in movie theaters throughout Russia following a blaze in the Zimnyaya Vishnya shopping mall in the Siberian city of Kemerovo, representatives of the biggest cinema networks informed TASS.

In particular, snap fire safety inspections are being conducted in the Formula Kino and Cinema Park network. "They (fire safety inspections - TASS) are already underway," said Alexandra Artamonova, the network’s PR and External Communications Director. She noted that the inspections are being held "without closing movie theaters, beyond working hours and with the participation of representatives of the Emergencies Ministry and shopping malls," adding that they would continue "until all movie theaters are inspected."

Moskino’s press service said snap fire safety inspections had been held in all 13 movie theaters on March 27 and 28. "We have regular inspections, with the movie theaters’ personnel and employees of private security firms instructed. However, [snap checks] have been going on for two days due to these events," the press service said, adding that "everything is working properly" after these inspections.

According to the Moskino press service, they normally do not close the evacuation exit doors. "On the outside, the emergency doors are only closed during the night, when the movie theaters are closed, while for the rest of the time, <…>  these doors are open," the press service said, adding that the doors were technically designed in such way so that they could easily be opened by pushing them and "so that a person could quickly leave the building in case of emergency." The press service noted that each of the audience halls has 4 emergency doors.

The Karo cinema network has conducted fire safety inspections for the second day in a row "in accordance with the prosecutor’s office’s instructions," the network’s press service informed TASS. "The movie theaters are working as usual. The inspections concern compliance with the fire prevention regulations and do not affect movie screening," the network said.

Kemerovo shopping mall fire

A catastrophic blaze broke out on the top floor of the Zimnyaya Vishnya four-story shopping mall in the Siberian city of Kemerovo on March 25, eventually engulfing an area of 1,500 square meters. According to the latest reports, the conflagration has claimed the lives of 64 people, including 41 children. A total of 79 people, among them 27 children, were injured in the fire.