Smolenskaya Square (Moscow) fire of May 11, 2009

The Joker's End: One Gambling Den Down, Far More to Go

12:20

May 11, 2009 was a public holiday in Russia. Moscow students were running their annual relay race across the en:Garden Ring, so the whole Ring was cleared of street traffic, with cops guarding every intersection.

• 
• 

12:23

TV crew films the race at Smolenskaya Square. Across the square, a wrecking crew pulls apart a historical three-storey building to make way for more offices. Adjacent (left) two-storey structure, another old building wrapped in black plastic, is a gambling den. Watch some yellow smoke pulling up...

• 
• 

12:27-12:29

No doubt it's on fire. In two minutes, yellow dust-like smoke changes colour to menacing black

• 
• 
• 

12:30

Fire engines arrive on scene.

• 
• 

12:33

A wave of runners reaches the site. Some are still running...

• 
• 

some actually fly!

• 
• 

12:44-12:50

"Where do I run now?" - "You're not running anywhere, buddy!"

• 
• 

12:42-13:10

Meanwhile, open fire breaks out at the top of the facade.

• 
• 
• 
• 

Remember the excavator machine involved in demolition? It's still there. Might've been the only casualty of this fire, but I guess it's still salvageable.

• 
• 

Firefighters

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Cops and tow truckers

• 
• 
• 
• 

13:10-13:30

As seen from the neighboring blocks. No, the church is not on fire.

• 
• 
• 
• 

At this point the photographer decided he's had his share of carcinogens and left the scene. Firefighting continued until 16:37 (says the news channel). There were no fatalities and no injuries. The relay race, as usually, was won by Moscow's Eastern District; Nizhny Novgorod team came second.