A loud fire alarm in the Tikhomirov residential complex in Yekaterinburg’s VIZ district caused widespread confusion on the evening of June 16th. Residents and passersby initially mistook the alarm for a more serious emergency siren, such as a warning system.

The alarm was particularly audible near the intersection of Vikulova and Metallurgov streets. Eyewitnesses reported that no smoke was visible, suggesting the alarm may have been a drill.

The incident follows a recent, serious fire on Elizaveta Street where a mother threw her baby from a fifth-floor window and then jumped herself to save their lives. Details surrounding that incident revealed that some residents of the same building reportedly refused to allow rescuers into the entrance during the fire.