Ammunition depot on fire near Belgorod
An ammunition depot caught fire in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast reportedly due to “hot weather,” Russian regional governor Vyacheslav Gudkov said in a Telegram post on Aug. 23.
According to Gudkov, the fire started due to a “lensing effect” from the sun igniting munitions. It’s unclear what kind of object or medium acted as a lens to focus direct sunlight, large enough to ignite sitting munitions.
Small children often use magnifying glasses to replicate the lensing effect on small insects and plants, but it is unknown if a large enough magnifying glass happened to be near the munition storage area, which, in most militaries, is a closed, windowless warehouse.
While there were no reported casualties, locals from the nearby village of Tymonove were evacuated as a precaution, Gudkov added. Emergency services are active in the area.
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