MOSCOW, February 11 (RIA Novosti) - A blaze that killed four people at a building site in the east of Moscow early on Monday was caused by a failure to observe fire safety regulations, an Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman said.
The fire broke out on the 30th floor of an under-construction 36-storey building at about 3 a.m. Moscow time (midnight GMT).The blaze covered an area of 70 square meters.
Four construction workers, aged from 28 to 35, died at the scene.
"The fire occurred due to a disregard for fire safety regulations," the spokesman said.
A total of 15 people were evacuated from the building. The firefighting operation was hampered by violations of work and safety regulations at the building site, the spokesman added.
Incidents involving construction workers, often illegal migrants from ex-Soviet republics, are frequent in the Russian capital, where the construction industry is booming.
Civil rights groups have highlighted the poor working conditions on many building sites in Moscow, where work often goes on throughout the night.
