FOOTAGE: Explosion at remote Siberian military base

An explosion at a military base in Siberia rocked residents of remote Kamensk Sunday, according to reports, and 11,000 were evacuated. The blast was caused by wildfires reaching ammunition stores.

The incident comes after wildfires engulfed thousands of hectares of forest in Siberia. The fires, which have been raging for two days, have been described by environmentalists as an “ecological catastrope.” Russia sent military planes to help firefighters battling the fires engulfing more than 3.1 million hectares, an area roughly the size of Belgium.

The base is three miles out of town; the nearest large settlement is Krasnoyarsk. No fatalities, they’re saying, just some shrapnel wounds. UPDATE: The Siberian Times reports 1 dead. [via DasKleineTeilchen]

https://youtu.be/Y4c6Lqt_1HU

Here’s the local “keep calm and carry on” siren.