Hundreds of firefighters battled a large blaze that broke out in a Russian Defense Ministry building in central Moscow, prompting the evacuation of some workers and injuring at least one firefighter.
Igor Denisov, a spokesman for the Emergency Situations Ministry, was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying that firefighters "localized" the blaze, which by the late afternoon of April 3 had spread over 3,500 square meters.
He said at least one firefighter was hospitalized.
The ministry said in a statement that the fire had erupted inside a “technical room” of the administrative building, which has been undergoing repairs.
Authorities were investigating suspicions that the fire was started by faulty electrical wiring in the building, but they had not yet determined the cause of the blaze.
The Defense Ministry moved to a new headquarters on the Moskva River in 2014 but still kept the old building near the Kremlin, housing departments in charge of procurement and services.
