Huge fire after Moscow gas pipeline blast

Russia: Moscow on Sunday suffered its worst fire in decades when a gas pipeline blast sent flames bursting into the sky and raised new concerns about the security of Russia's ageing energy infrastructure.

The fire produced spectacular plumes of yellow flames reaching 200 metres (600 feet) high and huge clouds billowing smoke were visible against the night sky, television pictures showed.

Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov, who rushed to the scene, said that five people had been injured in the fire, including one man who received 35-percent burns, but there had been no fatalities. The cause of the fire was almost certainly to be technical in nature, he added, virtually ruling out the possibility of foul play.

The fire broke out at 0030 local time (2030 GMT Saturday) and at its peak sent flames 200 metres high into the sky. But by the morning the blaze had been brought under control and the flames reduced to 20 metres, officials said.

The emergencies ministry said the fire was a category five on its scale for assessing such incidents, the most serious level possible. It said that 35 fire brigade units had been sent to the scene.

Moscow, Sunday, AFP