Fire kills 10, injures 11 in eastern Siberia

At least 10 people were killed and 11 others injured in a big fire which broke out at a military base in Bolshaya Tura village in eastern Siberia Tuesday night. The fire caught a Russian military munitions depot caused a series of explosions, said Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov on Wednesday, adding that there were two soldiers among the dead. Fire fighters and rescue teams have controlled the blaze which was sparked by a nearby forest fire, said Konashenkov, noting that there is no threat of harm on civilians living nearby the site of the incident. Russia is currently facing extreme forest fires covering about 70,000 hectares in eastern Siberia and far eastern Russia. Explosions in ammunition warehouses containing explosives from the cold war era are common in the country due to lack of safety and old infrastructure.