Firefighter killed in massive fire in St. Petersburg factory

At least one firefighter died in a large-scale fire that hit a historic factory in Russia's second largest city of St. Petersburg on Monday, reported Xinhua.

The blaze broke out at 12:35 local time (0935 GMT) and engulfed an area of 4,000 square meters, spreading to four floors of the building of the Nevskaya Manufactuka textile factory, according to the TASS news agency.

Forty people working in the building have been evacuated and two others are currently hospitalized.

Roughly 300 rescue workers and dozens of pieces of equipment have been deployed to the factory, a significant cultural heritage site with part of the building housing small businesses.