GROZNY, April 3 (RIA Novosti) – The tallest skyscraper of the Grozny City complex caught fire in Chechnya’s capital on Wednesday.
Clouds of black smoke engulfed the 40-story apartment building, which boasts the world’s largest round clock, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.
A spokesman for the Emergencies Ministry said no one was killed or injured in the fire, while dozens of people were evacuated from the 145-meter (475-foot) skyscraper and nearby buildings.
“More than 100 firefighters and 16 fire engines are battling the blaze,” the spokesman said.
A police source told RIA Novosti that all floors of the skyscraper except the ground one are on fire.
It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze.
In February, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov presented French movie star Gerard Depardieu with a five-room apartment in the skyscraper, which is the tallest building in Russia outside Moscow.
The Grozny City complex was built in 2009-2011.