Russian plant hearth rages on, 24 hours after Ukrainian assault

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian firefighters had been on Thursday nonetheless battling a fireplace reported to have damaged out at an oil depot close to an air base for strategic bombers within the Volga area, greater than 24 hours after a Ukrainian drone assault.

“It takes a sure period of time to finish the burnout course of. The scenario is underneath management,” regional governor Roman Busargin stated in a Telegram publish.

A state of emergency was in impact in Engels, a metropolis of 200,000 folks some 730 km (450 miles) southeast of Moscow, after the blaze unfold and two firefighters died making an attempt to place it out.

Busargin stated the fireplace had damaged out at an industrial website, which he didn’t title, after a mass drone assault. The Ukrainian army stated on Wednesday that it had set hearth to an oil depot that serves an air base for Russian nuclear-capable bombers.

Engels is lots of of kilometres from Ukraine. In December 2022, three Russian air pressure personnel had been killed when a drone was shot down there.

Russian information stories additionally stated the fireplace was at an oil facility. Movies and pictures printed on social media confirmed a big hearth sending thick clouds of smoke into the evening sky.