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(CNN) - An explosion caused a fire in a biological research facility in Russia, one of the two centers in the world where it is known that there are samples of smallpox virus.
The explosion occurred on Monday during a repair work in the sanitary inspection area at the Russian State Center for Virology and Biotechnology Research, known as Vector, near the Russian city of Novosibirsk in Siberia, the center said in a statement.
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A worker was injured in the incident and is being treated for severe burns, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.
In his statement, Vector said that no biohazard material was in the area when the explosion occurred. The city mayor also insisted that the incident does not represent a biological or other risk to the local population, according to TASS.
The fire started when a gas cylinder exploded on the fifth floor of the six-story laboratory in the city of Koltsovo.
The explosion caused the windows to break, but there was no structural damage, TASS said.
Virus