Russia fire: Fifteen people killed in nightclub blaze after ‘flare gun discharged inside’

Police are searching for person who used the weapon after the fire in the Kostroma region of Russia

A fire in a Russian nightclub has killed 15 people and injured five others, reportedly after a flare gun was used inside.

Emergency services were able to evacuate 250 people when the blaze erupted in the city of Kostroma in the early hours of Saturday.

The governor of the Kostroma region, Sergei Sitnikov, said five people were slightly injured and received medical assistance.

Firefighters fight the blaze at Polygon cafe in Kostroma, Russia (EPA)

Hundreds of people were evacuated from the building as the fire took hold (AP)

The roof of the building collapsed during the fire. A criminal investigation has been launched, and the police are searching for the person who used the flare gun.

Kostroma, a riverside city of 270,000, is located roughly 340 kilometers (210 miles) north of Moscow.

It wasn't the first time that pyrotechnics caused a deadly fire at a recreational venue in Russia.

In 2009, more than 150 people were killed in a blaze at the Lame Horse nightclub in the city of Perm that erupted after someone set off fireworks.

At least fifteen have died with more injured (EPA)

And earlier this year a fire erupted at a popular nightclub in Yaounde, Cameroon’s capital, setting off explosions and killing at least 17 people.

The deadly blaze occurred at the Livs Nightclub in the capital’s Bastos neighborhood, setting off a series of explosions. Workers said it was a short-circuit that customers initially thought was a fireworks show.

The explosions went off once the blaze spread to a place where cooking gas was being stored, causing panic, the workers said in January.