From the Associated Press:

Story Filed: Sunday, August 27, 2000 12:41 PM EDT

MOSCOW (AP) -- All major television stations in the Russian capital were knocked off the air Sunday by a fire at
the massive Ostankino broadcasting tower.

The blaze forced the evacuation of visitors to the observation platform and restaurant that perch about two-thirds the way up the 1,771-foot tower, the world's second-tallest freestanding structure. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The fire broke out about 3:30 p.m. about 320 feet above the restaurant and platform, and Russian news agencies reported that the evacuation was completed about 90 minutes later.

However, the fire was still burning some five hours after it started and had spread down toward the observation level as well as higher up the spire.

The fire initially knocked off three television channels, including the main independent station NTV. But the tower's fire-extinguishing system was unable to put out the fire and it spread, knocking out both state-run RTR and the ORT channel, in which the state owns a majority share.

Residents of other parts of the country reported they were receiving the channels as usual. Spokesmen for the channels could not immediately be reached for comment on whether backup equipment was available or on how long the outage might last.

NTV later was able to broadcast news programs via the facilities of a UHF Moscow channel.

The fire also burned up some transmission equipment used by police and medical services, news reports said, but
the extent of that damage was not immediately known.

Initial reports said the fire appeared to be caused by a short-circuit in wiring used by a paging company at about
1,520 feet above ground.

At that point, the tower's spire is extremely narrow and firefighters were reportedly having difficulty
maneuvering in the cramped quarters.

Also cut by the fire were the broadcasts of the channels TV-6, Kultura and TV-Tsentr. Two smaller channels received only in some parts of the city were reportedly still on the air.

The Ostankino tower, which looms over northern Moscow, was erected in 1967 and is a popular tourist attraction.

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