At least 38 people died in a fire at a psychiatric hospital outside Moscow early Friday, according to Russian media reports.<br /><br />Forty-one people were believed to have been in the Ramensky hospital when the fire started, but a nurse managed to lead two patients to safety, according to early reports.<br /><br />The building housed patients with severe mental disorders, according to Russian Health Ministry officials.<br /><br />The fire is believed to have been caused by a short circuit that occurred in a wooden annex of the wood-and-brick hospital building shortly after 2am.<br /><br />The closest fire station was over 50km away, and it took firefighters an hour to respond to an emergency call.<br /><br />Most of the fire's victims were local patients, many of whom were sedated at the time.<br /><br />All of the building's windows had metal bars, according to a BBC report citing a local official.
