World Notes

Muscovites may see the ornate ochre building on Tchaikovsky Street that houses the U.S. embassy as an imposing place. But the diplomats who work in the 19th century, 10-story structure consider it a dilapidated firetrap. Last week the building lived up to its sorry reputation as flames swept through the top floors, forcing the evacuation of 200 people. One American and one Soviet fireman were treated for smoke inhalation. The conflagration, the third to break out since 1977, is believed to have started accidentally in an elevator shaft before spreading to the upper floors and roof.

The blaze is likely to rekindle the debate over the fate of the new embassy building nearby, which was deemed unusable in 1985 when U.S. security experts discovered that the structure was riddled with electronic listening devices planted by Soviet workmen. Congress has been unable to agree on whether to tear down the building, which has already cost taxpayers $300 million, or to build a spy-proof addition atop the existing structure. Now the embassy has no home at all, and the staff has temporarily set up offices in auditoriums on the 13-acre compound.