Video | Large fire breaks out at fertiliser warehouse in Moscow region
Russia warehouse fire
A large fire broke out at a fertiliser warehouse in the town of Ramenskoye in the Moscow region on Sunday (August 13), reported Russian news agencies citing officials, amid doubts that it may have been caused by Ukrainian drones. Thefire, which has since been extinguished, comes days after another warehouse in Odintsovo, a town to the west of Moscow, was ablaze.
What happened in Ramenkoye?
According to the Russian state news agency RIA, the size of the fire had reached 2,700 square metres before it was localised and put out.
Images and videos showed thick black smoke and a flame emerging from the site which could be seen from hundreds of metres away.
Disclaimer: WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of photos and videos shared on social media.
The Moscow region prosecutor’s office said the preliminary cause of the fire was a violation of fire safety requirements during welding work, reported the Russian state news agency, TASS. Additionally, the media report citing the warehouse’s owners said that all employees had left the premises.
Series of fires and explosions around Moscow
The Russian capital city and its surrounding areas have recently witnessed a rise in incidents of warehouse fires or explosions.
The incident on Sunday comes days after TASS citing the Russian emergency service reported a massive fire in a warehouse in Odintsovo, a town to the west of Moscow between Vladimir Putin and the Vnukovo airport.
According to TASS, the fire on Thursday (August 10) started in the warehouse, 6.5 kilometres away from Putin’s presidential residence in Novo-Ogaryovo. The size of the fire was reported to be 2,000 square metres, as of midnight (local time). However, the cause of the fire was not immediately known.
A day prior to that, a powerful explosion ripped through a factory which the Russian media has previously said manufactures military equipment like night vision goggles and is around 70 kilometres northeast of Moscow.
The explosion had also led to the death of one woman and injured more than 50, said the Russian officials, at the time. One of the victims has died as a result of their injuries, the TASS news had previously reported.
Connection to Ukraine drone attacks?
These incidents have reportedly been linked to a rise in alleged Ukrainian drone attacks in and around the capital city, by pro-Kremlin commentators, as Russia is in the midst of what it calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
While Kyiv has not directly claimed responsibility for any attacks against Russia, top officials have reportedly welcomed them. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, last month, said “war” was coming to Russia, hours after a drone attack on the capital Moscow.
“Gradually, the war is returning to the territory of Russia – to its symbolic centres and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process,” Zelensky had said at the time.
Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on Ukraine-Russia war on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
(With inputs from agencies)
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