By The Moscow Times | Created at 2025-04-03 10:50:22 | Updated at 2025-04-04 05:36:33
19 hours ago
A large fire broke out at a shipbuilding plant in the northwestern republic of Karelia, regional authorities said early Thursday.
The blaze was first reported at 9:50 a.m. local time and spread to an area of about 1,500 square meters (16,146 square feet), according to emergency officials. The state-run TASS news agency reported that an exploding gas cylinder caused the fire.
Petrozavodsk’s Onega Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Plant, where the fire erupted, builds and repairs cargo vessels, as well as smaller service ships, such as tug boats and fishing boats.
Republic of Karelia head Artur Parfenchikov wrote on his Telegram channel that the fire was “fully extinguished” as of 12:26 p.m. local time.
Parfenchikov said three people were injured in the blaze but added that no one was killed. TASS reported that two of those who were injured are on ventilators and remain in critical condition.
The local prosecutor’s office launched an investigation into the fire.
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