Fire breaks out in downtown Moscow

A large fire broke out in downtown Moscow on Monday evening on the premises of the Mikoyan meat processing plant, emergencies services and police reported. The fire that engulfed 2,000 sq m (21,530 sq ft) has been localized, and no one was reported injured. An Emergencies Ministry spokesman said the building on fire was a depot having no relation to the Mikoyan plant. Deputy Emergencies Minister Alexander Chupriyan said 24 firefighting crews and four helicopters are working on the site. He preliminarily blamed the fire on welding work on the building's roof, which collapsed as a result of the blaze. Chupriyan added that the owners of the depot had earlier been held accountable for violating fire safety regulations. An investigation is underway.