Fire Hits Russia's Only Aircraft Carrier While On Drydock

A fire has broken out on Russia's only aircraft carrier, forcing the whole crew to evacuate in a further blow to renovation plans for the Admiral Kuznetsov, Jack Newman and Madeleine Ross reported for Mailonline.

Photo Insert: The Admiral Kuznetsov is Russia's one and only aircraft carrier.

The ill-fated aircraft carrier was docked in the Zvyozdochka shipyard in Murmansk for repairs when the blaze started on the vessel which has been beset with problems. The fire erupted in the cabins on the port side of the flagship of the Russian navy, which also caught fire in 2019.

A source told Russia's TASS news agency that there were no casualties and the fire was put under control, with only 20 people being evacuated. The fire was extinguished by 11.30 a.m. after firefighters rushed to the shipyard. There was no major damage to the vessel.

The vessel has been plagued by breakdowns and setbacks since its launch in 1985. In December 2019, a fire broke out on board which killed two people and left 11 people injured. The ship was severely damaged.

The inferno covered at least 4,305 square feet. The blaze erupted during welding work and spread quickly through the carrier's internal compartments.

That fire followed a 70-ton crane crashing onto the Admiral Kuznetsov's deck in October 2018 when a mammoth floating dock holding the ship sank. The crane left a hole of 215 square feet, and the loss of the dock significantly slowed down repairs on the carrier since the navy lacked another of comparable size.

Alexei Rakhmanov, who heads the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) overseeing renovations, told RIA Novosti that the fire occurred during repair work but the damage control system worked quickly and there was no damage.

This is the latest incident this week after two mysterious explosions and major infernos in the Irkutsk region. Dramatic footage shows the scene from hell caused by the 'jet fire' in the east Siberian district of Ust-Kut, Irkutsk region.

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