Smoke Pouring From Russian Consulate In San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A smoke alarm went off this afternoon at the Russian Consulate in San Francisco where smoke was seen coming from the building's chimney, fire officials said.

Firefighters responded at 12:28 p.m. to the consulate at 2790 Green St. where the alarm turned out to be false, San Francisco Fire Department spokesman Lt. Jonathan Baxter said.

Officials with the U.S. State Department on Thursday ordered the closure of the consulate and annexes in New York and Washington, D.C.

The consulate must close by Saturday and follows a decision by the Russian government to reduce the number of American diplomatic staff allowed in their country, according to an announcement by State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert.

Consulate officials called the closure an "unfriendly" step by American authorities that will hurt both Russian citizens living in the area and Americans seeking tourist visas to travel to Russia.

— Bay City News; (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

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