Fire engulfs 18th-century mansion in St. Petersburg

A fire broke out on Thursday at an 18th-century mansion on St. Isaac’s Square in St. Petersburg, engulfing all floors of the four-storey building, according to Russia’s Emergencies Ministry.

The ministry said an open fire was burning in the building. The blaze spread across more than 2,000 square metres, and authorities raised its severity to the third rank of difficulty.

Firefighting operation

Some 125 personnel and 25 pieces of equipment were involved in the response, the ministry said. Emergency services warned that the fire could threaten nearby buildings. No casualties have been reported.

The prosecutor’s office in St. Petersburg’s Admiralteysky District is overseeing efforts to establish the circumstances and cause of the fire. The cause will be determined after a fire-technical examination.

Historic buildings

The mansion and the adjoining Miller apartment building are listed as cultural heritage sites. Their facades, designed in an eclectic style with Italian Renaissance elements, retain the appearance created during a reconstruction in 1879.

The mansion continues to serve as a residential building.