ammunition

SOFIA: An explosion and fire have hit an ammunition storage site in Bulgaria, police said Saturday, weeks after a blaze at another munitions facility in the country.

The latest incident happened late Friday at a warehouse operated by Bulgarian arms maker EMCO, whose munitions are used in Ukraine, near the central village of Gorni Varpishta.

No casualties were reported and workers were evacuated from the site.

Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said the blaze broke out at one warehouse at the facility, triggering explosions.

There was no danger of the fire spreading to other warehouses or beyond the storage complex, he told a press conference.

“All hypotheses are on the table and we are examining them carefully,” he said, adding the storage facilities had some shortcomings, including poor security.

The warehouse contained explosive materials, including around 100 munition rounds, the armaments company said.

The incident came about a month after a fire at an ammunition depot at another nearby EMCO plant in Bulgaria, a NATO member and supporter of Ukraine.

EMCO ruled out human error in that case, and prosecutors are investigating.

President Iliana Iotova said Saturday she was considering convening Bulgaria’s national security council, a presidential advisory body that brings together senior political, security and defense officials.

“Cases of explosions at ammunition depots have become more frequent,” she said.

EMCO is owned by Bulgarian defense executive Emilian Gebrev, who survived a poisoning attempt in 2015 together with his son and another company executive.

Bulgarian prosecutors have charged three Russian nationals over the poisoning.

Separately, six Russians have also been charged with terrorism over four explosions at arms facilities in the country between 2011 and 2020.

Prosecutors said the four blasts were remotely triggered and suspected the incidents were linked to efforts to disrupt arms supplies to Georgia and Ukraine.

Bulgaria has supported Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

There have been a string of incidents at defense companies in European countries that support Ukraine in recent weeks.

Firebombs were thrown near defense company offices in the German city of Munich earlier this month and an ammunition factory near Rome operated by arms maker KNDS was hit by a blast in August.

No injuries were reported in either case.

Aug. 29 (UPI) — At least 37 people are dead and many more wounded after a Russian drone hit an ammunition warehouse, which then caused a large fire and several explosions in a residential area near Kyiv.

The attack on Friday, which was in Myla, in the Kyiv district, was part of a barrage of aerial attacks by Russia. But the ammunition depot made the attack much worse.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinsky said he would punish those who allowed explosive materials storage so close to homes.

“Since yesterday evening and throughout the day today, I have been receiving reports on the situation in the village of Myla, Kyiv region, where detonation began following a Russian strike. A terrible situation and terrible negligence on the part of those who stored explosives right next to people,” Zelensky posted on X.

“I want to separately thank everyone who is there on the ground and at other sites of Russian strikes, doing everything possible to help and save people,” he added.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv region military administration, said that as of Saturday afternoon, 37 people were known to have died, and the toll could still rise. It is one of the deadliest Kyiv has seen since the start of the war more than four years ago, CNN reported.

“This is a terrible and irreparable loss. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families and loved ones of those who have died,” Tkachenko said.

A home for older adults and disabled people was severely damaged, The New York Times reported officials said. On Sunday, the capital region will observe a day of mourning..

Taras Didych, the long-time head of the local municipality, was killed when he arrived at the scene to help, Ukrainian authorities said.

“He always stood by his people. He did not abandon them even during the Russian occupation — he was there, offering support and assistance, and keeping the community together during one of the most terrifying periods,” CNN reported Mykola Kalashnyk, Ukraine‘s Minister for Recovery, Infrastructure and Transport, said in a statement.