China News Service, April 13th. According to the "Central News Agency" report, on the 12th local time, a raging fire destroyed an ancient factory of historical significance in St. Petersburg, Russia's second largest city, and thick smoke darkened the city's skyline.

　　The red brick Nevskaya Manufaktura factory (Nevskaya Manufaktura) was built in 1841 and has a history of 180 years. It is located on the Oktyabrskaya Embankment on the right bank of the Neva River and is one of the famous landmarks of St. Petersburg .

　　Local media mentioned that the Nevskaya factory was listed as a historical and cultural monument of the St. Petersburg city government.

The factory was nationalized during the Soviet era and later privatized in 1992.

In recent years, part of the factory has continued to produce textiles, part of it has been rented out for office use, and part of it has been abandoned.

　　According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, the fire broke out at about 12:30 noon on the 12th local time, and it soon spread to the entire 6-story building. The cause of the fire has yet to be investigated.

40 people have been evacuated from the burning factory, a nearby hotel has also been closed, and the tenants have been moved elsewhere.

　　According to reports, this huge factory was caught in a sea of ​​flames, and even nearby trees were damaged. Fire trucks and ambulances were all around.

The disaster area was about 10,000 square meters, and a large part of the roof collapsed.

　　After nightfall, nearly 350 firefighters still continued to put out the fire, and the military also sent fire-fighting helicopters to support it.

　　The Russian Ministry of Emergency Affairs said that the body of a firefighter who died on duty had been found, and two other firefighters were hospitalized with severe injuries. The burns on their bodies amounted to 40% to 50%.

　　According to a report by the Russian news agency TASS, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Affairs inspected the building on March 16 this year and found 9 violations and many serious violations of fire safety requirements.