Russian tanker depot in Engels burns for over a day after drone strike
Photo: The fire in Engels continues (RosSMI)
A fire at an oil storage facility near a strategic bomber airbase in Engels, Russia, continues 24 hours after a Ukrainian drone attack, Reuters reports.
“It takes a certain amount of time to complete the burnout process. The situation is under control,” the governor of the region, Roman Busargin, said on Telegram.
A state of emergency was declared in Engels, a city of 200,000 people about 730 km southeast of Moscow, on January 8 after the fire spread and two firefighters were killed while extinguishing it.
Busargin said the fire broke out at an industrial site, which he did not name, after a massive drone attack. The Ukrainian military said it set fire to an oil storage facility that serves as an air base for Russian bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
Engels is located hundreds of kilometers from Ukraine. In December 2022, three Russian Air Force servicemen were killed in a drone attack there.
Russian news outlets also reported that the fire occurred at an oil facility. Videos and photos posted on social media showed a large fire spewing thick clouds of smoke into the night sky.
The Engels airfield is one of Russia's largest air bases, home to strategic bombers, including Tu-95MS and Tu-160. It is from these aircraft that Russia attacks Ukraine with cruise missiles.
