Russian police on Saturday detained two people, including the suspected perpetrator, after a fire killed at least 13 people at a cafe in the western city of Kostroma.

Russian emergency services told state television that 13 people were killed, denying earlier media reports that 15 people had died. 

Russian agencies reported that the fire could have started after a drunk man fired a flare gun on the dance floor.

"Police officers identified and detained the suspect (behind) unlawful acts in an entertainment establishment in the city of Kostroma, which resulted in a fire and the death of people. He has now been handed over to investigative authorities," Russian police said in a statement.

Russia's Investigative Committee later said a second person was detained, a woman who acted as an organizational director of the cafe Polygon, in a criminal case on the failure to meet safety requirements.

A large fire broke out in the cafe Polygon early on Saturday morning, RIA news agency reported, and 250 people were evacuated from the building.

(With input from AFP)

(Cover: Firefighters extinguish a fire in a cafe in Kostroma, Russia, November 5, 2022. /CFP)