Moscow: A massive fire ripped through one of St. Petersburg’s largest markets on Wednesday evening, killing one person and injuring several others as explosions triggered panic and thick black smoke billowed over the Nevsky district.

The blaze engulfed about 1,500 square meters of the Pravoberezhny market, destroying much of the structure before firefighters brought it under control, according to Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry.

According to media reports, one man died and at least two others were injured, including a man who leapt from the second floor to escape the flames and a 52-year-old woman who suffered carbon monoxide poisoning. Dramatic visuals circulating on social media showed the market fully ablaze, with dense black smoke rising into the night sky.

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