Firefighters in the Russian capital Moscow on Friday (January 30) night battled a large fire in the library of the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences.
The fire broke out in on the top floor of the three-storey building shortly after 10pm (1900 GMT), and emergencies workers said they had localised the blaze a few minutes after midnight, according to Russian news agency RIA.
RIA reported the fire consumed 2,000 square metres (21,500 square feet), and 147 workers battled it on the scene.
According to Russian media, no injuries were reported, and harmful pollutants were not recorded near the scene.
Video posted on social media appears to show the library engulfed in flames as thick smoke rises from it.
Russian broadcaster Vesti reported that the institute has more than 14 million items, including rare centuries-old publications and materials from the League of Nations and United Nations and a large selection of books in Slavic languages.
Reuters
