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Video Captures Fatal Fire Engulfing Ukrainian Fuel Depot

The huge blaze and explosion at a fuel facility near Kiev, western Ukraine, has killed several people and others remain missing. The cause of the fire is still unknown, with sabotage a possibility.
Screenshot via Vidsich/Eugeny Arkhipov

Footage emerged today of a huge blaze and explosion at a Ukrainian fuel depot near the country's capital that has killed at least one victim, injured several others, and reportedly left several firefighters missing.

The fire, at a depot next to Hlevakha airbase just southwest of Kiev, broke out on Monday evening, killing one oil depot worker and hospitalizing a number of others. The fire started on Monday evening in one tank before spreading to neighboring containers, said Ukraine's emergencies ministry.

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It was followed by an explosion on Tuesday morning that left conflicting numbers of firefighters injured or missing. Most outlets reported that between three and four firefighters have died, while a further six were missing.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, with sabotage a possibility. At least eight petrol tanks, each with a storage capacity of 900 cubic meters (32,000 cubic ft) were on fire, according to officials.

This drone footage was captured by Vidsich, a pro-Ukrainian movement, and was filmed on Monday, June 8, when the fire was isolated to a small number of tanks.

This footage shows the fire engulfing the oil depot on the evening of June 8.

The Emergency Situations Ministry told the Associated Press that firefighters were focusing on trying to prevent the fire from spreading to a munitions storage facility about 160 feet away.

Interior minister Arsen Avakov also sent a series of tweets about the blast, reporting a "giant" explosion.

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