Fire guts Russia's Antarctic research station, no one hurt

A fire on a Russian research outpost in the Antarctic has damaged some of its facilities but no one was hurt, officials said Monday.The state-funded Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute said the blaze at the Mirny station occurred Sunday.The Mirny station was opened in 1956.

A fire on a Russian research outpost in the Antarctic has damaged some of its facilities but no one was hurt, officials said Monday. The state-funded Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute said the blaze at the Mirny station occurred Sunday. The fire erupted at its weather research unit and quickly spread to several other labs, helped by strong winds.

The institute said that 11 people who worked at the damaged building were evacuated and resettled at other premises. It said that communications with the outpost have been fully restored The institute said a probe into the cause of the fire has been launched. The Mirny station was opened in 1956. It is located in Queen Mary Land on the Antarctic coast of the Davis Sea.