MOSCOW, January 28. /TASS/. A safety violation during repair work is seen as a likely cause of the fire in the Moscow Academic Theater of Satire which has engulfed an area of 250 square meters, first responders told TASS.

"According to preliminary data, the fire in the Theater of Satire could have been caused by a safety violation during repair work," a source told TASS.

According to him, a section of the theater building is under reconstruction with repair work underway there. "It has not yet been established in which exactly part of the building the fire started," he added.

According to available data, the dome of the theater was recently repaired, roofing was replaced.

The fire began at around 11 a.m. Moscow time, one hour before the first performance. Firefighters evacuated 50 people, the press service of the Ministry for Emergency Situations said.