Russian apartment blaze claims 5 lives

KOLOMNA, Russia, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- A fire in an apartment building outside Moscow left five people dead, authorities said Sunday.

The cause of the blaze in Kolomna was not immediately known, the Investigative Committee said.

"Tonight, the investigative authorities received information that the bodies of five people -- four men and a woman -- were found after the fire was extinguished in the nine-story building," the committee said in a written statement.

RIA Novosti said the blaze was the latest in a rash of multi-fatality fires in the nation. Most have been traced to careless smoking and lax enforcement of safety rules during construction work.