House split by bombs (Moscow)

 interesting place, apartment building, 1892_construction, Great Patriotic War

In August, 1941 a demolition bomb hit the house and has passed through all four floors and blowing up in the cellar, after splitting the house on two parts. The formed blockage instantly has flashed. Fire jumped from one floor to another, and soon the entire house was filled with flames.

Previously in the cellar of this house was a bombproof shelter, and at the moment of the explosion thirty people took cover there. When fragments blocked the exit, and it appeared that the people would be caught in a fiery trap. Only thanks to heroic efforts of fighters of 1st rescue battalion МПВО operating quickly and harmoniously, were all the inhabitants of the house rescued. One part of a battalion extinguished a fire, and another then and there cleared away a passage to enable descent to the bombproof shelter and to the basement windows. Rescued received medical aid as many had strong bruises. One of women insisted that they were rescued from that this place because until 1917 in the house was an orthodox men's religious society.

The two parts were actually two separate apartment buildings that has been connected during a renovation in the early 20th century. The buildings had been constructed in the late 19th century by a religious society as housing for the poor.