KALYNIVKA, Ukraine - A huge fire at an ammunition depot in central Ukraine has set off a series of explosions and prompted an evacuation of thousands of people, officials said on Wednesday.
Authorities have evacuated 30,000 people from the town of Kalynivka, 200 kilometers west of the capital, Kiev, and turned off the electricity and gas supply after the depot caught fire on Tuesday night.
The powerful explosions on Tuesday created massive fireballs that lit up the night sky. Hours later, smoke was seen billowing on Wednesday morning. Four residential buildings were damaged by fire but no casualties have been reported.
Local media reported that about 188,000 tons of munitions were kept at the depot including rockets for the Grad multiple grenade launchers.
Andriy Ageyev, spokesman of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, told the 112 television station that munitions at the military base in Kalynivka were still detonating at the military base on Wednesday morning.
Olena Gitlyanska, spokesman for the Ukrainian Security Service, told the Unian news agency that they are treating the fire as sabotage. She didn't provide further details.
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