Moscow (Russia) - A huge fire has broken out in one of the most expensive apartments in the Russian capital Moscow.

Most recently, the almost 310 square meter penthouse in the heart of Moscow was advertised to wealthy home builders for the equivalent of 40 million euros.

But on Monday, the spacious penthouse in the "Roza Rossa" residential complex burned down completely. This was reported by the news agency URA.

Images circulated on social media show the extent of the fire. A huge column of smoke towers over the center of Moscow. Flames billow out of the oligarch's residence.

The damage cannot yet be quantified.

According to the newspaper Vedomosti, the fire had already engulfed an area of 100 square meters when the emergency services arrived on the scene. The fire was quickly extinguished. No one was injured. The penthouse was unoccupied at the time of the fire. The other residents of the building had to leave their apartments.

Meanwhile, all indications are that the fire broke out during renovation work. Improper welding work on the roof set fire to a wooden frame covered with plastic, and the fire then quickly spread to the entire upper floor. According to Mash, the fire is said to have raged over an area of 150 square meters.

The "Roza Rossa" apartment complex was built according to plans by Italian architect Piero Lissoni (68) and was completed in December 2022. The building is just under three kilometers from the Kremlin. The cheapest apartment (26 square meters) in the six-storey building recently cost the equivalent of 340,000 euros.

A fire broke out on the roof of the luxurious residential building back in 2023, but was quickly extinguished.