Emergency services struggled to prevent the spread of a deadly fuel depot fire outside
The fire burned overnight and by morning had spread to at least 16 tanks, most of them storing petrol. That sent a huge pall of black smoke over the area surrounding the depot near Vasylkiv,
"At the depot, entire fuel tanks have been destroyed. Nearby,
Three firemen were unaccounted for after an explosion ripped through the area as they battled the fire.
At least 11 people were injured in the fire and one later died in hospital, local media reported. Some 62 fire-fighting units and three trains delivering water and supplies have been mobilised, emergency services said.
Rescuers started evacuating people from the area within a two kilometre radius from the fire and will widen the exclusion zone to
He also warned of the threat of the fire spreading to a nearby military facility.
"There is a serious danger ... because
Interior Ministry official Zoryan Shkiryak said police were investigating three possible causes for the fire.
These included "violations of fuel storage regulations, technical malfunctions or arson," the ministry quoted him as saying.
The owner of the depot, BRSM-Nafta, said in a statement it believed the fire was the result of an arson attack, aimed at damaging its business.
Of the 16 fuel tanks affected, eight had a capacity of
Source: reuters