A huge fire has engulfed the roof of a hospital in Russia, causing people to jump out of the windows in a bid to escape.
The blaze broke out in the Central Hospital No. 3 in Yekaterinburg, with local media reporting evacuation efforts are now underway to free patients and visitors trapped inside.
Terrifying footage of the scenes show thick plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky as emergency fire services rushed to put out the blaze.
Men and women can also be spotted in the disturbing clips leaping out of the windows as they desperately attempt to flee to safety.
According to 72RU, eyewitnesses reported that repair work was being carried out on the roof of the hospital before the fire began.
The blaze broke out in the Central Hospital No. 3 in Yekaterinburg, Russia
Thick plumes of smoke were seen in footage billowing into the sky this morning
People were forced to jump from the windows in a bid to escape the flames
A grinder that was being used in the building work apparently caused the fire, however, the Russian publication said this information has not yet been officially confirmed.
One clip of the incident shows a woman in a pink coat leaping two storeys from the hospital, before landing on a balcony and being helped down by man who also appears to be treating a casualty.
Others can be seen in the background of the windows from where the woman jumped.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations revealed the fire spread over an area of around 200 square metres.
A post on the It’sMyCity Telegram channel said: ‘Fire on the roof of a polyclinic extinguished The Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Sverdlovsk Region reported that it had localised the fire.
‘Its area had grown to 300 square metres; 350 people were able to get outside on their own, 48 people and 16 units of equipment are working at the scene.
Emergency services have reportedly rescued around 35 people from the burning building
The Ministry of Emergency Situations revealed the fire has spread over an area of around 200 square metres
The thick smoke was seen covering the city as commuters took to the roads
‘The Ministry of Emergency Situations has not reported any casualties.’
Nevertheless, it added: ‘E1 published a photo from the scene of the fire, where the fire on the roof is no longer visible. The publication also reports at least two injured workers.
‘They were lowered to the ground. One worker is unconscious, KP-Ekaterinburg claims.’
It comes after a major fire broke out in a domestic violence centre in Chigasovo, Moscow, on Saturday, where at least three children were injured, according to local reports.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the fire engulfed 300 square meters. Three fire trucks and 15 rescuers arrived at the scene at around 8pm.
There were 26 people in the shelter at the time of the incident, 18 of whom were children.
Two employees were rescued by emergency services but the others made it out of the building on their own.
According to the regional Ministry of Health, six people were injured in the fire and five were hospitalised, with doctors at the time assessing their conditions as serious.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
