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WATCH Russian Icebreaker Burst Into Flames at St. Petersburg Shipyard

According to the results of a preliminary investigation, the blaze was caused by violations of safety rules by the company contracted to build the vessel, the shipyard’s press service told Sputnik.
Sputnik

A video of the fire on board Russia's future Project 22600 icebreaker the Viktor Chernomyrdin, currently under construction at the Admiralty Shipyard in Saint Petersburg, has appeared on social media.

The fire broke out around 7.00 p.m. local time on Tuesday on the ship’s third and fourth decks covering an area of approximately 1,000 square feet.

The fire was localised by 9.10 p.m. and put out about 10.00 p.m.

Some 15 fire trucks and more than 75 firefighters were on scene battling the blaze.

Two people suffered burns. One of them, an employee from a contracting organisation, was taken to a hospital with severe hand burns.

The fire seriously damaged equipment, cables, and sheathing in the ship’s technical quarters.

READ MORE: Fire on Vaygach nuclear icebreaker kills two in Siberia

The shipyard has set up a commission loo into the circumstance of the blaze.

Set to become the world’s biggest and one of the most powerful diesel-powered icebreakers, the 22,000-tonne Viktor Chernomyrdin had been expected to be ready for service by the end of 2018.

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