ROSTOV-ON-DON. July 19 (Interfax) - The situation unfolding in eastern Crimea, where a military training range has caught fire, will normalize within 24 hours, Crimea head Sergei Aksyonov said.
"Currently, there are 217 people, including 55 children, in temporary accommodation centers. We expect that thanks to measures taken jointly with the federal center and municipal authorities, the situation will return to normal essentially within 24 hours," Aksyonov said at a meeting attended by the Russian president on Wednesday.
The fire started at about 4 a.m. Moscow time, and some munitions detonated, he said. No casualties or damage have been reported.
"Vladimir Vladimirovich, you won't have to intervene, colleagues and I are keeping everything under control," Aksyonov said at the meeting.
As reported earlier, a military range is burning in the Kirovskoye district in eastern Crimea. Almost 2,200 residents have been evacuated from four communities located within a range of 5 km, including Krinichki, Aivazovskoye, Abrikosovka and Privetnoye, for about 24 hours. The Tavrida highway connecting the Crimean Bridge with Sevastopol has been closed. Traffic has been redirected via an old road.