Soviets Keep Firemen Out, Montreal Consulate Burns

A minor fire at the Soviet consulate turned into a major five-alarm blaze that gutted the building today when Soviet officials kept firefighters out for 15 minutes.

A Fire Department spokesman said the blaze was not reported until neighbors who saw flames leaping from the windows called in an alarm. When firemen arrived, Soviet officials were trying to put out the fire with garden hoses and buckets of snow.

The spokesman said Soviet consular officials held his men up for 15 minutes before finally allowing them to enter the three-story brick-and-wood building on the slope of Mt. Royal in central Montreal.

By that time, the blaze--which started in an electrical box in the basement--had spread throughout the building.

Several Soviet officials remained inside the consulate for 20 minutes to protect documents. They eventually were forced out by smoke, said Anthony De Monte of the emergency ambulance service.

A fifth alarm was sounded just after noon. Between 100 and 120 firemen and 30 trucks battled the blaze at its height but abandoned efforts about 50 minutes after the fire started when it was determined that the structure could not be saved.