Fire engulfs empty 40-story high-rise in Chechnya

Michael Winter, USA TODAY | USATODAY

Fire Wednesday evening engulfed an unoccupied 40-story luxury high-rise in the capital of Chechnya, according to news reports from the southern Russian republic. No one was hurt.

Although flames enveloped the outside of the 475-foot tower — the tallest Russian dwelling outside Moscow — Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said the interior was not seriously damaged, RIA Novosti reported.

About 30 people were evacuated from the "Olympus" tower, one of seven residential skyscrapers in the Grozny City complex. Initial reports indicated that an electrical short-circuit may have ignited insulation around the fourth or fifth floors about 6 p.m. local time.

Flames and black smoke spread rapidly up three sides of the building because of its plastic trim, the RT television network reported.

The tower features the world's largest round clock, which continued working for more than two hours after the blaze began, RIA Novosti noted.

Kadyrov famously gave actor Gerard Depardieu a five-room apartment in a neighboring 30-story tower after President Vladimir Putin gave the French tax exile Russian citizenship. The exterior of his unit suffered some smoke and fire damage, a police source told the LifeNews tabloid.

The complex also includes another 30-story condominium tower, two 18-story residential buildings, a 30-story, five-star hotel and a 30-story office tower.

Grozny was obliterated during two separatist wars against Russia in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

"We will restore this building with God's help and use the most state-of-the art technologies to make it even better and more beautiful," Kadyrov said on his Instragram page, RIA Novosti said.