Kiev, January 15, 2019
Photo: RIA-Novosti A 2,100 sq. ft. fire broke out on the territory of the Kiev Caves Lavra las night in a separated two-story building, reports RIA-Novosti.
Rescuers received a message at 5:17 last night that the building was on fire. The fire began on the second floor and subsequently spread to the roof. It was originally thought that the building was part of the monastery complex, but His Eminence Archbishop Clement of Nizhyn later clarified that the building was part of the state-owned Lavra museum complex.
“The fire occurred on the territory of the reserve; it’s not monastery territory. There are many such abandoned buildings in disrepair. The monastery buildings were not damaged. There was no evacuation,” the hierarch explained.
Currently, the lower Lavra is under the jurisdiction of the canonical Ukrainian Church, while the upper Lavra area is officially under the Kiev Caves Historical and Cultural Reserve.
As of 6:00, there were 46 firemen fighting the blaze. It was later reported that there was a partial collapse between the second floor and the attic, but as the building stands alone, there was no danger of the fire spreading to other buildings.
The fire was completely extinguished at 8:07, with no injuries reported.
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