An oil spill along Moscow's Moskva River caught fire Wednesday, sending flames and a towering plume of black smoke into the air. The fire allegedly started when a patch of grass along the river caught fire and then, in turn, ignited the oil slick.

The incident occurred where the Ring Oil Products Pipeline transports jet kerosene, gasoline and diesel to and from the Moscow Refinery. While those materials would certainly explain the flames, a statement from the state-owned oil pipeline company Transneft said: "The circumstances have been investigated. No pressure drop had been recorded in the pipeline before an oil spill emerged. No oil product pipeline damage was discovered in the ROPP preliminary inspection."

Despite the impressive visuals, the fire was reportedly extinguished within 15 minutes. Three people were injured and treated at the scene.

The plume was visible from points all over Moscow and social media users posted photos on their accounts.

Source: mashable.com

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