Twenty-five storey apartment block burns in minutes

A small fire on the lower floors of a 25-storey apartment block in Russia spread so rapidly it engulfed half of the tower in flames.

The fire, which happened yesterday, caused widespread evacuations in the Russian city of Krasnoyarsk, in southern Siberia, RT reports.

Amateur video of the incident shows thick black smoke billowing from the building as an entire side catches alight.

Residents of the tower and neighbouring dwellings were swiftly moved to safety, and there are no reported casualties.

A spokesperson for the local emergency response team said that the materials cladding the tower were responsible for the fire rapid movement, as well as the thick smoke.

"The house has a vinyl siding and plastic-furnished balconies. This is what is burning," she said.

The tower, completed in 2001, contains 120 apartments. The fire is said to have started on the lower floors and spread upwards over the building's exterior.

Author: Lachlan Williams; Approving Editor: Emily McPherson

Source: RT