After more than four hours, the fire that broke out at around noon today at the National Philharmonic in downtown Chisinau has been located. According to preliminary data, the fire affected an area of 3,500 square meters.
The Emergencies Inspectorate reported that, in parallel with extinguishing the remaining fire, firefighters started dismantling hazardous structures where possible.
Shortly after the fire erupted, National Philharmonic director Svetlana Bivol has told IPN that the fire was probably caused by sparks from a welding apparatus employed to fix a pipe in an annex. Bivol added that after the morning rehearsal, everybody left the building, except for a few staff, who were evacuated immediately, so no one was in danger.
The fire extended and soon after, the ceiling of the main hall collapsed.
