State-run news agencies have warned the fire is spreading and is currently covering 120 square metres of the huge ship.
The ship, currently docked in the Arctic port of Murmansk, caught fire during routine repairs. At least one person are unaccounted for, TASS news agency has warned.
One source told the TASS the fire had started on the upper deck and that thick, black smoke was billowing from the vessel.
A source in the Emergency Ministries: “Three people were injured in a fire that broke out onboard Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov at a dock in Murmansk, northwest Russia.
“Three people have been injured. All of them are receiving medical assistance.”
TASS said eight people were rescued and one person was missing.
They said: “According to emergencies services, the fire occurred during repair works in the first power unit and a thick plume of black smoke is seen from the upper deck.
“The engulfed area has grown six-fold to 120 square meters. Diesel fuel is currently burning and the firefighting effort is carried out with the use of foam.
“Safety rules’ violation is considered as a likely cause of the blaze.
“The press service of the Zvyozdochka ship repair centre said the specialists working onboard the vessel had been evacuated.”
The Admiral Kuznetsov has seen action in Russia’s military campaign in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad, with its planes carrying out air strikes on rebel forces.
Misfortune has befallen the ship before. The vessel sustained damage during repair work last year when the floating dock holding it sank and a crane crashed onto its deck, leaving a gash up to five metres (16.5 feet) wide.
The Admiral Kuznetsov gained notoriety in Britain in 2017 when then-Defence Secretary Michael Fallon dubbed it the “ship of shame” as it passed through waters close to the English coast en route back from the Mediterranean belching black smoke.
This is a developing story, more to follow…
