Moscow Fire Videos Show Smoke Billowing Around Key Train Stations

Videos on social media show smoke billowing into the sky above Moscow as authorities battle a massive fire in a square which is home to three key train stations.

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations' Moscow office said a fire broke out in a two-story warehouse in Komsomolskaya Square on Sunday afternoon.

The fire partially collapsed the ceiling between the first and second floors of the building, the agency said. It has also grown to cover a total area of about 2,000 square meters.

"There is heavy smoke along the way," the office said in a message posted on Telegram.

"Dear residents and guests of the capital! The Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for Moscow recalls the need to comply with fire safety rules - remember, your life, the life of your loved ones and the safety of property depend on it."

On Twitter, several videos captured black smoke billowing into the sky from the fire.

Freelance journalist Sotiri Dimpinoudis shared a clip on Twitter showing the smoke while sirens can be heard blaring in the background.

In one tweet, Dimpinoudis said an explosion had reportedly caused the fire.

"Reports that explosion in #Moscow, happened near the central train station, reports that nearby greenhouses have caught on fire after the explosion," Dimpinoudis tweeted.

Russian authorities did not confirm that or provide details about what caused the fire. Newsweek has contacted the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations for further comment.

One post on Russian social media site VK claimed that about 10 people were trapped inside the burning warehouse, but this has not been confirmed.

Seven people have been evacuated from the building, according to RIA Novosti, a state-owned news agency, while more than 90 firefighters continued battling the blaze.

Leningradsky, Yaroslavsky, and Kazansky railway terminals are located in Komsomolskaya Square, but Russian Railways said there was no threat to passengers or disruption to trains, RIA Novosti reported.

The fire in Moscow comes a day after videos circulated on social media showing a huge fireball erupting near St. Petersburg.

"Meanwhile in Russia: something went wrong in Murino, near the city of St. Petersburg," Julia Davis, the creator of the Russian Media Monitor, tweeted alongside the video.

Authorities later announced that it had been caused by an explosion on a gas pipeline. Messages posted on the Telegram account for the Leningrad area on behalf of the governor Alexander Drozdenko said, "the fire occurred due to depressurization of the gas pipeline."