ACHINSK. (Krasnoyarsk Territory). Aug 6 (Interfax) - Ilyushin Il-76 military-transport airplanes and helicopters will join an operation to put out a fire at an artillery ammunition depot in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Gen. of the Army Dmitry Bulgakov said.
"We are set to launch an aerial operation now. Ten Il-76 planes and helicopters will be working to combat the fire. [The fire] should be extinguished by the end of this day," he said.
A fire broke out at a depot storing gunpowder charges for artillery shells belonging to a military unit in the Achinsk district, located in the west of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, at around 1:00 p.m. Moscow time on Monday, also causing explosions at the depot. An evacuation was announced in towns and villages located within a 20-kilometer area around the site. A state of emergency was declared in the Achinsk district.
The Russian Defense Ministry earlier formed an air group of ten Aerospace Forces Il-76 airplanes and helicopters equipped with specialized water buckets to combat wildfires raging in the region.