Evacuations after munitions detonate at military site near Moscow

MOSCOW: A fire at a military base near Moscow caused several explosions on Tuesday, injuring four people. Hundreds of people living nearby were moved to safety, a local governor said.

Alexander Avdeev, governor of Vladimir Region, wrote on Telegram that ammunition had caught fire and shells had exploded at a storage area of the base in the region's Kirzhach District.

The Defence Ministry said earlier that the fire had been caused by a breach of safety requirements and had resulted in the detonation of ammunition stored in a warehouse.

A state of emergency was declared, and local authorities were working with the Defence and Emergencies Ministries to make the area safe. Three of the injured were being treated in hospital.

Avdeev said the base had been evacuated along with residents of at least seven nearby settlements.

Unverified video published earlier on Telegram channels showed a huge fireball and clouds of thick smoke rising into the sky.

Baza, a Telegram channel close to security services, said at least 10–11 explosions had occurred and that firefighters from neighbouring regions had been called in to contain the blaze.