The blaze broke out at the Kristiine Keskus shopping mall, to the West of central Tallinn, on the afternoon of Wednesday, February 21.

No one was injured in the incident.

Rescue Board (Päästeamet) spokesperson Siim Palu told Delfi: "The likely cause of the fire has now been determined. It is presumed that it started when an unknown combustible material entered the air intake vents of an industrial space heater in the storage room."

This combustible material, once ignited, was then expelled from the space heater, with the ensuing sparks making contact with nearby flammable materials, including furniture.

Once the alarm was raised Kristiine Keskus was fully evacuated by Rescue Board personnel, while the task of extinguishing the fire began simultaneously.

Initial concerns about two individuals whose whereabouts were unknown once the evacuation had been completed were allayed once the pair were subsequently located outside the complex.

First responders received the initial notification of the fire, in a warehouse adjacent to the mall and which serves the Jysk furniture store, at just after 4.15 p.m. on Wednesday, February 21, while the conflagration soon took hold and flames were seen billowing out of the warehouse, as captured by passers-by using their smartphone cameras.

The blaze did not spread beyond this location, however, and, the Rescue Board says, the mall's own sprinkler system helped to contain it; the fire was localized before 6 p.m. and declared fully extinguished before 8 p.m., and while ambulances were on site, no one required medical treatment.

The Kristiine Keskus reopened the next day, though some stores nearest to the blaze site remained closed for longer.

Further details are still being clarified.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!