The fire broke out at a two-storey brick warehouse yesterday afternoon near the usually busy stations connecting Moscow to cities such as St Petersburg in the northwest, Kazan in the east or Vladivostok in the far east.

The blaze was fully extinguished late yesterday.

“Unfortunately, during the inspection of the debris, five people were found dead and one person was injured,” Moscow’s branch of the emergency situations ministry said on social media late yesterday.

Russia’s investigative committee, which probes major crimes, said the number of victims was still being clarified and attributed the blaze to the “violation of fire standards”.

Citing a source in emergency services, state news agency TASS reported that seven people were killed in the fire.

Accidental fires are common in Russia due to ageing and dilapidated infrastructure and non-compliance with safety standards.