Explosive Propellant Storage Catches Fire at Military Depot in Siberia, Staff Evacuated

A fire and an explosion have taken place on the territory of a military unit located near the city of Achinsk in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region, according to the central military district administration.

On the territory of one of the warehouses of the Central Military District, a storage facility containing powder charges for artillery ammunition was ignited; personnel have already been evacuated, the press service of the Central Military District said.

Fire source is currently being localized at a military depot in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region, with fire-fighting armored vehicles engaged in the operation, the press service of the Central Military District said.

“Regular alert crews have taken measures to prevent fire from spreading and ensure security on the site. Fire source is currently being localized, with fire-fighting armored vehicles from the depot’s fire-fighting crew engaged in it,” the press service said.

A representative of the regional emergency services said that the depot could house over 40,000 of 142mm and 152mm caliber projectiles.

The population is being evacuated from a 20-kilometre zone around the artillery warehouse of the Defence Ministry, where shells exploded, a spokesman for the region’s emergency services said.