A fire in a shopping mall in Kemerovo, Russia killed 64 on Sunday, March 25. Of the 64 killed, 41 were children. In the following week, longtime governor, Aman Tuleyev, in Siberia resigned.

The fire initially started in the children’s entertainment area where there was a trampoline with foam rubber. One of the children had a lighter on the trampoline pool which set off the foam rubber. A father who lost his daughter in the fire had gotten a call from her minutes before she took her last breath.

“I told her to lie down on the floor and breathe,” the father said. “’Breathe and don’t die,’ I told her. I was crying to my daughter. She said, ‘Dad, I love you. I’m suffocating, I’m fainting,'” he said.

Several exits were blocked and the alarm system had been turned off in the multi-level mall that had once been a sweets factory. The fire continued to spread on the fourth floor that includes a skating rink, children’s entertainment area and cinema. Anna Zarechneva had gone to the movie theater to see a movie.

“Somewhere in the middle [of the movie] the door opened and in the light coming from the hall there was a cry: “Fire! Fire!”,” Zarechneva said in a CNN article. “No-one turned on the light in the hall. No fire alarm to be heard. The crowd broke through one narrow door.”

Following the day the of the fire Tuleyev resigned. The governor had been in office for more than 20 years and was well accepted by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Tuleyev posted a video message on the administration’s website announcing the resignation.

“I believe this is the only right and thoughtful decision for me because one can’t work as a governor with such a heavy moral burden; it’s just not right,” Tuleyev said in the video.

Many protesters took to the streets because people were upset about some officials dismissing the problem. A small memorial was set up in the streets and people brought flowers and stuffed animals to put at the memorial. Putin declared a day of mourning, but not until two days after the fire. Rasim Yaraliyev, head of a citizen’s group wanting answers about the fire, was interviewed in a CTV News article.

“This tragedy reflects all of Russia’s problems — the corruption of officials who closed their eyes to problems with fire safety, uncoordinated work of the special services, the imperviousness of authorities,” Yaraliyev said.

Putin, as well as leaders in other countries, have given their condolences to the victims and their families.