Two people have been arrested in connection with the deadly fire at a former electronics research institute outside Moscow, Russian investigators said Wednesday.
At least six people were killed when the top floors of the former Platan Research Institute building — which was rented out to dozens of other companies — caught fire in the Moscow region town of Fryazino on Monday. Investigators named faulty wiring among the likely causes.
The Moscow branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee said it detained the deputy director of the property management company, as well as a representative of the building’s deceased owner on charges of “providing unsafe services that led to people’s deaths.”
“Having colluded together, they provided tenants with services and received money for utilities, particularly electricity, without ensuring their safety,” investigators said without identifying the two arrested men by their names.
Unconfirmed reports said the deputy director of the property management company “Isprin” is Yury Famin and the owner’s representative is Anton Speshilov.
Regional investigators claimed the two men failed to “control the technical condition of the wiring and violated fire safety rules.”
They both face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.
Investigators said they were trying to determine whether anyone else was involved in the suspected collusion they believe led to the safety violations and subsequent fire.
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