1 of them killed, 4 injured, and about 40 residents of neighboring houses evacuated. The authorities hid the cause of the explosion. A policeman was also injured.
On the afternoon of January 25, an explosion, fire and subsequent detonation occurred in Belgorod in a private residential building at 2nd Surgutsky Lane, 1. This was at first reported by local media, publishing footage of the fire and detonation, and then the fact of the fire was confirmed by the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the mayor of the city.
“According to preliminary information, there are no fatalities or injuries. That’s the most important news! <…> The causes of the fire are being established. The incident is not related to the shelling of the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” wrote Mayor Demidov.
ASTRA found out that fighters of the Chechen special forces “Akhmat” lived in the burnt-out house. The owner of the house, 59-year-old Elena S., told ASTRA that she herself had placed military personnel in the house on a voluntary basis, “for utility bills”.
“I was in the house too. Just at that moment, right before the explosion, I entered the house. I wasn’t hurt. I don’t know what exactly happened there, but the commission is investigating it. I let the soldiers live there just out of the goodness of my heart, they were paying for utilities. I met them on a trip once, chatted with them, and that’s how we got to know each other,” Elena told ASTRA. The woman refused to answer further questions and hung up the phone.
ASTRA sources in the emergency services of the region added that unidentified ammunition, which the military stored there, exploded in the house. They also detonated during the fire. One of the “Akhmat” fighters died on the spot, 4 were hospitalized. Also, as a result of the detonation, a Belgorod police officer who arrived at the scene after the explosion was injured.
About 40 residents of 17 neighboring houses were evacuated, and 2 more private houses were damaged.
The local authorities did not name the cause of the explosion and fire, nor did they announce the fact that there were dead and injured.
