A powerful explosion occurred Tuesday evening at an ammunition depot on a Russian military base in the Kirzhach district of the Vladimir region, northeast of Moscow, regional governor Aleksandr Avdeyev confirmed.
Four people were injured as a result of the blast, which prompted local authorities to issue an evacuation order, said Avdeyev.
He added that the stored munitions caught fire, triggering a series of explosive detonations within the depot area.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the fire was caused by a violation of safety protocols, which led to the detonation of stored ammunition.
“As a result of a fire at a military unit in the Vladimir region, stored munitions exploded,” the Ministry said.
“The cause of the fire was a breach of safety standards during the handling of explosive materials… according to preliminary information,” it added.
A state of emergency was declared in the Kirzhach area, which lies about 130 kilometers northeast of Moscow.
Personnel from the military base, along with approximately 450 civilians from at least seven nearby settlements, were evacuated, the governor said.
The ammunition depot is one of the largest in the Russian Armed Forces, located more than 500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. No drone attacks were reported in the Vladimir region prior to the explosion, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) noted.
Unverified videos shared earlier on Telegram channels showed a massive blaze, a powerful explosion, and thick plumes of smoke rising into the sky.
One Telegram channel reported 10 to 11 explosions, with firefighters from neighboring regions called in to battle the blaze.
According to the same source, a special commission has been formed to investigate the cause of the fire.
