KHARKOV, Ukraine, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- A fire at an ammunition depot in Ukraine is expected to cause explosions for at least two days, officials said Thursday.
The deputy chief of Ukraine's General Staff, Col. Gen. Nikolai Tsitsyursky, said the blasts at the depot in Lozovaya have been taking place since a blaze broke out at the site Wednesday due to a nearby forest fire and there are no signs the explosions would end in the next two days, ITAR-Tass reported.
Several injuries have been reported and about 18,000 people have been ordered from the area as a precaution.
ITAR-Tass said some 100,000 tons of ammunition, including 107-mm Luna missiles and anti-tank guided missiles, were stored at the site.
First Deputy Emergency Situation Ministry Vladimir Antonets said emergency personnel were prepared to deal with the ongoing explosions and fire in the Kharkoz region.
Gas supplies to the area near the ammunition depot were cut off as a precaution and fire-tanks were ordered to aid in the fight against the fire.
ITAR-Tass said Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Shandra said the depot fire and blasts aren't as risky as those that occurred in the Zaporozhye region during the Novobogdanovka arsenal explosions in 2004.
