MOSCOW, October 1. /TASS/. A mansion built in the 18th century is on fire in downtown St. Petersburg, the press service of the Russian Emergencies Ministry told TASS.

"We received a report of an open fire in the four-story building," the ministry said, noting that the mansion, designed by architect Ferdinand Miller and also known as the Bremmer House, was on fire.

The Emergencies Ministry later specified that the area affected by the fire is 2,000 square meters. The fire has been classified as a third-alarm fire (out of a possible five), the press service noted.

According to its statement, 125 employees and 25 pieces of equipment were extinguishing the fire, which has started to engulf a nearby building.

Constructed in 1872 in the eclectic style according to a design by Ferdinand Miller, an academician of architecture, the Bremmer House has been a landmark of St. Petersburg’s social and cultural life for decades. Its ongoing renovation was supposed to be finished by the end of 2027.