The fire happened in a city 210 miles north of Moscow (Picture: AP)

Russian police have detained a man suspected of starting a fire that tore through a bar that killed at least 15 people and injured five.

State television showed daunting images of the blaze engulfing the popular Poligon nightclub in the western city of Kostroma.

National news agencies have reported that the fire was ignited when a drunk man fired a ‘flare gun’ while on the dancefloor.

Parts of the lighting rig on the ceiling burst into the flames, with smoke clogging the one-storey building.

The police have identified and detained a suspect, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs Media website.

The Russian Investigative Committee, which investigates major crimes, said a 23-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of using a ‘pyrotechnic’ object inside the building.

The Russian Investigative Committee said a ‘pyrotechnic’ device was found inside (Picture: Reuters)

The fire was reportedly started by a ‘flare gun’ held by a drunk clubber (Picture: EPA)

‘As a result of the fire, 13 people died; the number of dead and injured is being clarified,’ the committee said.

‘As a result of complex operational-search measures, police officers identified and detained a suspect in an unlawful act in one of the entertainment establishments in the city of Kostroma, which caused a fire and death of people.

‘Currently, the suspect has been handed over to the investigating authorities.’

The committee added it has launched a criminal case of ‘causing death by negligence’.

The fire at the Polygon club started at around 2:20am local time Saturday night when 250 people spilt out of the building and the roof collapsed.

Tass news agency quoted a police source as saying the suspect had admitted responsibility.

The blaze burst out of the one-storey nightclub and left nearby homes blackened (Picture: EPA)

It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the fire (Picture: Reuters)

They said: ‘He was spending time with a woman, ordering flowers for her while he held a flare gun. Then he went to the dance floor and fired it.’

Flames spread around an area of 3,500 square metres, scorching nearby residential buildings, in a fire that took firefighters five hours to put out.

The governor of the Kostroma region, Sergei Sitnikov, initially said 13 people were killed in the blaze, but emergency services confirmed two more people had died.

It was the latest in a series of fatal fires that have ripped through restaurants at the start of the year, Reuters reported. Two of the fire blazes resulted in deaths.

In 2009, more than 150 people were killed in a blaze at the Lame Horse nightclub in Perm that burst after a performer set off fireworks.

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The suspect reportedly fired the flare gun while on the dancefloor.