One Dead in Moscow Tourist Hotel Fire

A fire broke out in the huge Hotel Rossiya overlooking Red Square, and a woman was killed and several people were hospitalized, Tass press agency reported today. Some guests were evacuated with ladders.

Tass said the fire began at about 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the sprawling hotel’s north wing after a television set overheated. It said fumes from burning plastic in the set were so strong that police initially called to the room were unable to enter.

The Rossiya is a major tourist hotel, capable of accommodating about 3,000 guests. Because of its closeness to the Kremlin, it frequently houses large delegations of Communist Party and government officials when major meetings are held in Moscow.

“Firefighters used extension ladders and special passages, built in the Rossiya after a large fire in 1977, to evacuate guests from the second and third floors to the ground floor hall,” Tass said. It said the fire was put out in 40 minutes.