Fountain CATCHES FIRE in Moscow after $18mn restoration works (PHOTOS)

It may sound like a bad joke, but Russian firefighters were actually called to put out a fire at one of Moscow’s iconic fountains, which has recently undergone a multi-million-dollar makeover.

Photographs of smoke coming from the Stone Flower fountain at the All-Russia Exhibition Center (VDNKh) have emerged on Facebook.

The administration downplayed the alarming footage, saying that the fire occurred in the sewer connected to the waterworks, and that the folktale-inspired fountain itself was out of danger.

Erected in 1954, the Stone Flower became the first-ever musical fountain in the Soviet Union. The landmark had been closed for renovations for almost a year. It cost a hefty 1.2 billion rubles ($18 million) to bring back its historic looks.

Online commentators reacted to the fire by paraphrasing a different folk saying: “He that is born to be burnt shall never be drowned.” They also remembered a fitting Russian children’s poem called ‘Confusion’ – which described how a crocodile extinguished a blaze that suddenly engulfed the sea. 

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!