Moscow's Giant TV Tower Ablaze
BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with a huge fire burning this hour at a Moscow landmark. White smoke could be seen coming out of the top of the Ostankino television tower on Sunday afternoon. The structure is known as the second-tallest free-standing structure in the world, housing the area broadcast relays. Tourists flock to its observation deck and to its restaurant. And CNN Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty joins us with the latest -- Jill.</s>JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Brian, we have been on the scene of that fire. And it is a very difficult one for firefighters to extinguish. As you said, it is a huge structure. The Ostankino tower is 540 meters high. That's 1771-feet high. And the fire started at the top of the structure, and now has been moving down. And firefighters, apparently, at this point, simply cannot extinguish it. People were taken out, evacuated from the observation deck and the restaurant. But there are believed to be four people trapped on an elevator inside. That is three firefighters and a woman who apparently worked in the building. The blaze knocked out TV broadcasts for several networks, including Russian state television. And people here in Moscow have not been able to watch this on TV. In fact, thousands of people, when we were there, were around the area watching, listening on car radios. And many of them said they were just wearily resigned to what is going on. One woman said: We had one catastrophe after another in Russia. And as you remember, they had the Kursk submarine sinking just two weeks ago -- and then before that, a bombing in downtown Moscow. There was some fear that the tower -- which is made of very -- at the top -- a very thin metal might actually fall over. And they have evacuated people from the perimeter of that area. At this point, they don't think that will happen. But they are taking every precaution -- Brian.</s>NELSON: Jill, how long are the Russians and Moscowites going to be without their television signals?</s>DOUGHERTY: It is unclear. It could be days. It could be weeks. Nobody really knows at this point. And there is even a question as to whether they want to rebuild that tower. That is coming from the mayor, quoted in the wires now. So we will have to see. But right now, the most important thing is to put out the fire.</s>NELSON: All right, thanks, Jill Dougherty in Moscow.