Major fire engulfs Wildberries Company warehouse in Russia, amidst unexplained alarm activations
The independent outlet Meduza covered this event, attributing information to the Ministry of Emergency Situations. It detailed that a vast fire consumed the warehouses of the Wildberries company in St. Petersburg. This company operates the largest online store in Russia, and its warehouses are pivotal to its functioning.
4:44 AM EST, January 13, 2024
Wildberries representatives have confirmed that the company's management is committed to providing all necessary support in light of the situation. "Vendors will be reimbursed for their goods' cost. Customers will be appropriately briefed about the incident," the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported.
Unexplained fire alarms
Information distributed by Russian news channels via the Telegram platform revealed that a week prior to the fire's ignition, in the first and second block of the warehouse, the fire alarm system was set off multiple times. However, each occurrence was a false alarm.
Footage shared on social media, notably, by an American activist of Ukrainian descent, Igor Sushko, shows towering columns of smoke. He highlights that Wildberries is often called the "Russian Amazon".
Fray near the warehouse
This comes after Russian media revealed that three days before the fire, a squabble took place near the warehouse, allegedly involving immigrants residing in Russia. Subsequently, a Wildberries employee, a 33-year-old Azerbaijani national, was admitted to the hospital. A 35-year-old unemployed Tajikistani national was also injured, and a criminal case has been raised against him.
