Over a hundred thousand cartridges destroyed after fire at ammunition warehouse in central Romania

Roughly 130,000 cartridges prepared for delivery were destroyed after a fire broke out at a warehouse part of the Cugir Mechanical Plant, in central Romania, on Saturday, August 2. No victims were reported, and an investigation is currently ongoing.

The fire started around 2 AM, initially over an area of 300 square meters, which later expanded to around 700. Residents near the hall were alerted via the Ro-Alert system. ISU also transmitted that “explosions could be heard within the area affected by the fire, but the intervention forces were stationed at a distance, in the safety zone.” By 8 AM, robot-assisted emergency crews managed to put out the flames.

Roughly 400,000 cartridges were stored in the destroyed warehouse, with an estimated value of EUR 5 million, according to Biziday. Authorities have launched an investigation into destruction by negligence.

After arriving at the scene, economy minister Radu Miruță refused to comment on the possibility of sabotage and noted that all options are being taken into consideration.

Later on, the official said that the damages amount to roughly EUR 400,000-500,000, but that ongoing contracts will not be impacted.

However, he stated that the fire manifested “aggressively” and that for four hours, boxes of cartridges exploded. “Simply put, box after box of cartridges exploded until around 4 in the morning, so for about four hours,” the minister said. No victims were reported, and the damages are relatively small.

Like many EU countries, Romania has been ramping up its ammunition and defense production capabilities in recent years, following partnerships with the United States and European allies. The Cugir Plant produces 9 mm automatic and semi-automatic pistols, along with other accessories.

This is not the first incident to take place at the Cugir Plant, which was founded in 1799 as an iron foundry by the Austrian Empire. Another fire accompanied by explosions took place at the same factory in 2020, with two people injured.

(Photo source: IGSU on Facebook video capture)