Russian apartment fire kills eight

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Three children were among the eight people who died in a fire in Vologda, in central European Russia, officials said.

The fire Friday occurred in an apartment building, RIA Novosti reported.

"The apartment block is burnt down totally," a fire official said.

Cause of the fire was not immediately known, and remains under investigation, the report said.