Huge fire rips through Russian Defence Ministry building

By Euronews

Published on 04/04/2016 - 04:14

A massive fire at a former headquarters of the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow was finally brought under control Sunday evening after sending

A massive fire at a former headquarters of the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow was finally brought under control Sunday evening after sending plumes of smoke over the Russian capital.

Around 50 people had to be evacuated from the administrative building, which dates from the end of the eighteenth century. Nobody was reported to have been hurt.

Fire in Russian defence ministry, part of building collapses https://t.co/nxl6jiqABL
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Hundreds of firefighters and several cranes were seen battling the blaze
Traffic through central Moscow was diverted.

A source told Interfax the fire may have started as a result of a short circuit involving old electrical wiring. The Emergency Situations Ministry said the fire had covered an area of at least 50 square meters.

The Defense Ministry moved to a new headquarters on the Moskva River in 2014 but still kept the old building near the Kremlin.

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