Mormon church ablaze in Moscow (VIDEO)

8 Jan, 2025 21:57 / Updated 15 hours ago
The two-story building caught fire on Wednesday night

A fire broke out at a building owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Moscow on Wednesday night.

The two-story building on Vrubel Street in the northwestern part of the Russian capital was undergoing renovations. The roof of the structure caught fire, news channel MSK1.Ru reported, citing Moscow’s emergency services.

In a short statement released around midnight, the emergency services said the fire was “completely extinguished.” 

According to Telegram news channel SHOT, the blaze was likely caused by welding safety violations.

The LDS church, whose members are commonly known as Mormons, was founded in the US in 1830 by Joseph Smith, who declared himself a prophet. It has over 17 million members worldwide. 

The church had an estimated 23,000 practicing members in Russia in 2018.