MOSCOW

An explosion hit a gas pipeline in northwestern Russia on Saturday, causing a fire, local authorities said.

The fire was reportedly quickly extinguished, but authorities gave no reason for the explosion which set off the blaze.

A power plant in the town of Vsevolzhsk that was fueled by the pipeline was switched to mazut – a low-quality heavy fuel oil – to ensure an uninterrupted heat supply, said Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the Leningrad Oblast.

Earlier today a residential building on the opposite side of Russia – Sakhalin Island in the Far East, north of Japan – was destroyed by a blast that authorities say was caused by faulty handling of a gas cylinder.