38 dead in Russian psychiatric hospital fire

MOSCOW At least 38 people died in a fire in a psychiatric hospital outside Moscow late Thursday night.
Police said the fire, which broke out at about 2 a.m. local time (6 p.m. Eastern) in the one-story hospital in the Ramenskoye settlement, was caused by a short circuit, the state news agency RIA Novosti reported Friday.
Officials from the Russian Investigative Committee later said they are looking at poor fire regulations and a short circuit as possible causes.
By early Friday morning, investigators listed 38 people -- 36 patients and two doctors -- as dead. Only three nurses managed to escape. The emergency services also posted a list of the patients, indicating they ranged in age from 20 to 76.
Health Ministry officials said the hospital housed patients with severe mental disorders.
Vadim Belovoshin, an emergency situations ministry official, told the Itar-TASS news agency the windows in the hospital were barred but said there were two fire escapes.
Belovoshin also said it took firefighters an hour to get to the hospital following an emergency call because a local ferry across the river was closed and the firefighters had to make a detour.
Deadly fires are common in Russia because of wide-spread violations of fire safety rules.
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