Blaze in Ukraine's BRSM-Nafta oil depot kills 4
The Ukrainian government says the country’s BRSM-Nafta oil depot near the capital, Kiev, has caught fire, killing at least four people and injuring a dozen others.
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov stated in a Wednesday message posted on Twitter that four oil reservoirs had burned up by the morning in the fire that reportedly began Monday night, adding that the flames are being contained and that firefighters are attempting to control the perimeters of the massive blaze, Interfax news agency reported.
So far, three firefighters and a civilian have been killed as a result of the blaze in the village of Kryachki, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Kiev, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry announced, adding that 12 people were injured.
As Ukrainian fire brigades and the National Guard troops continued battling the fire on Wednesday, the report added, latest information from the site indicated that five fuel tanks remain on fire, raising major ecological concerns in the area as a large amount of toxic substances were released into the air.
According to the report, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service officers confined the oil depot fire on Tuesday evening by pouring foam over two of the reservoirs. It further stated that cooling of the other burning reservoirs was still in progress with plans to add more foam later on to contain the huge fire.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined though interior ministry officials said safety violations were the likely factor in causing the blaze since counterfeit petroleum products were produced at the facility, TASS news agency reported.
Moreover, the head of the Ukrainian National Security Council, Oleksandr Turchynov, has said the evacuation of the area has begun within a two-kilometer radius from the fire.
"There is no danger of the fire spreading to the military facility and a nearby oil depot," he stated, adding that rescuers would not evacuate people from the 10-kilometer zone.
MFB/HSN/GHN
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