An explosion occurs at a fireworks warehouse in Bulgaria: there is a dead man and injured 26 July 2024
Kyiv • UNN
In Bulgaria, a powerful explosion occurred at a fireworks warehouse, leading to a fire. One man was killed, several people were injured, local residents were evacuated, and the fire continues.
The explosion occurred at a fireworks warehouse near Elin Pelina in Bulgaria, there are victims, one man was killed, the Bulgarian service of Deutsche Welle and BNR report, UNN writes.
Details
In Bulgaria, an explosion occurred at a fireworks warehouse around 18:30 local time the day before, leading to a huge fire.
According to eyewitnesses, a loud "thunderclap" suddenly sounded, followed by a massive fire. There was also a second explosion, which was stronger than the first. Residents say that their houses were shaken, windows were smashed and plaster was crumbling. According to preliminary information, three fireworks warehouses were on fire.
As of 20:30 local time, it was known that two people were seriously injured - a 40-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman - and hospitalized. The woman reportedly had 70% burns. At 18:35, the rescuers received information about four victims.
"Three warehouses are on fire. We took out two victims - a man and a woman who was seriously injured. According to unconfirmed information, more employees were injured. There is a continuous thundering and cracking noise," said Dimitar Kangaldzhiyev, Secretary General of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, from the scene.
At 20:00, Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov said that the situation was very serious.
At 20:30, an evacuation was announced via BG Alert. Thick smoke formed over the crash site and was blown by the wind. Falling debris also set fire to the roof of a large retail chain's warehouse.
According to BNR, one man injured in the explosions at a fireworks warehouse near the village of Elin-Pelin has died. The Pirogov Hospital, where the injured were hospitalized, said that doctors had done everything possible. The condition of the 20-year-old injured girl, who has 85% of the burns, remains critical.
There is information that two people remained in the warehouse, one of whom is the owner's son.
The warehouse, which stores about two tons of TNT equivalent, was reportedly not damaged.
Interior Minister Kalyn Stoyanov said that there was a heavy fire in the center of the warehouse base, which continues to burn. According to him, drones have been flying over the area every hour throughout the evening to monitor the situation, and a military helicopter is expected to fly over the area. After that, a decision will be made on whether the helicopter will join the firefighting. Explosions can still be heard from the warehouse that caught fire. Kalin Stoyanov noted that any actions at the scene will begin no earlier than 24 hours after the last explosion.
Early in the morning of July 26, the warehouse of the food chain, which is located next to the warehouses with fireworks, reportedly caught fire again. Firefighters reported that pyrotechnics fell from the roof while extinguishing the fire, so the warehouse continued to burn. According to Stoyanov, the explosions resumed around 5 a.m., and their intensity is being monitored, and they are likely to continue for several more hours.
It is noted that there are different versions of the fireworks explosion at the warehouses near the village of Elin-Pelin - from the human factor to ball lightning.
