Fire kills woman at psychiatric hospital in central Russia

USPA News - A female patient was killed Wednesday morning when a fire broke out in her room at a psychiatric hospital in central Russia, just days after nearly 40 people died in a devastating fire at a mental hospital near the capital Moscow, local authorities said. The incident happened at around 4:45 a.m. local time on Wednesday when a fire broke out inside a patient`s room at a psychiatric hospital in Zherdevsky District of central Russia`s Tambov region. It is believed the blaze began when a female patient was smoking in her bed, causing the bed to catch fire.

"Employees of the State Fire Service arrived at the scene in due time and extinguished the fire," said a spokesman for Russia`s Investigative Committee, which launched a criminal case as is standard procedure. "The fire killed one person (the female patient). Fifty-two people were evacuated from the building." Investigators were working at the scene Wednesday to determine the cause of the fire that completely destroyed the room and caused smoke and heat damage in a nearby corridor. "Through the investigation the causes of the fire and the exact circumstances of the incident will be established," the spokesman added. Wednesday`s incident comes just days after a fire broke out at a psychiatric hospital in the small town of Ramensky near Moscow. A total of 38 people were killed in the blaze on Friday, including 36 patients and two doctors. Two patients and a medical worker were able to escape safely.