Fire at Moscow TV tower extinguished

MOSCOW, May 25 (Reuters) Firefighters today extinguished a fire on a balcony high up on Moscow's 540-metre Ostankino television tower, Russia's Emergencies Ministry said.

The tower is one of the tallest free-standing structures in Europe. A fire there in 2000 killed three people and crippled television broadcasts. The tower caught fire again in April 2005, but no one was hurt.

''It was extinguished at 12:53 (1323 hrs IST),'' said a ministry spokeswoman. ''It was caused by sparks from welding work.

Insulation material under the balcony on the exterior of the building was smouldering.'' Television broadcasts were unaffected.

REUTERS RJ BD1513