Russian Defense Ministry denies reports on fire in its building in Moscow
MOSCOW. June 11 (Interfax) - The Russian Defense Ministry has denied reports on a fire in one of its buildings on Frunzenskaya Embankment in Moscow, saying that a fire alarm in fact went off falsely.
"A fire alarm went off in the basement of one of the buildings. A duty shift called a regular Defense Ministry and Emergency Situations Ministry firefighting crew. After they examined the premises, the information on a fire was not confirmed," the ministry's press service told Interfax on Saturday.
A source from city emergency services had told Interfax earlier in the day that a fire had broke out in the basement of a Defense Ministry building in central Moscow.
The source said the fire had been caused by a shirt circuit between power supply cables at 22/2 Frunzenskaya Embankment, a building belonging to the Defense Ministry.
The source said the basement was filled with smoke, and emergency services had been rushed to the scene.
The source from the city emergency services later told Interfax that a small fire covering an area of about one square meter in the Defense Ministry building had been promptly extinguished.
No one was injured in the incident, and no one had to be evacuated from the building, he said.