Plumes of black smoke could be seen pouring out of the renowned Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, which will be the stage for the 2018 World Cup final in Russia.
The fire was reportedly caused by construction waste setting alight on Monday. The 30-square-metre blaze at Moscow’s largest sports complex has been extinguished and no casualties have been reported.
Russia’s Sports Minister Vitaliy Mutko has told Russian media the stadium itself – which is due to host the tournament’s opener, semi-final and final – wasn’t damaged by the fire.
The 78,360 capacity stadium has staged numerous historic sporting events including the 1980 Olympic Games and the 2008 Champions League final that saw Manchester United triumph over Chelsea on penalties.
The venue is set to stage Russia’s World Cup final and is currently undergoing a major refurbishment to increase the stadium capacity to 81,000.
The interior of the stadium is believed to have been scooped out leaving only the facade and part of the roof intact while remodeling took place.
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