A fire broke out at a weapons storage facility operated by Bulgarian arms manufacturer EMCO on Friday night (September 11). Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev announced on Saturday (September 12) that authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. EMCO stated that the fire was caused by deliberate sabotage.
According to a statement released by EMCO, the storage facility that caught fire is located near the village of Gorni Varpishta in central Bulgaria, about 170 kilometers east of the capital Sofia. The facility had not been in use for several months and had undergone an inspection 20 days ago, which confirmed it had fully complied with all regulations.
Demerdzhiev mentioned that authorities are not ruling out external intervention, indicating that the fire may have been intentionally set.
It is currently unclear to what extent the weapons storage facility has been damaged. The Interior Minister stated that the blaze triggered a series of explosions but did not result in any casualties. The fire has been brought under control, and investigative efforts are ongoing.
The scope of the investigation includes exploring the possibility of deliberate sabotage and determining whether this fire is connected to the explosion and fire that occurred at another weapons warehouse of the company in August.
EMCO stated that the weapons they produce are being used by Ukraine in their fight against the invading Russian forces. The company claimed that the fire at their factory was a result of deliberate sabotage and have “completely ruled out” the possibility of human error. They did not specify who might be responsible for this.
Slavcho Dimiev, the head of production facilities at EMCO, confirmed the fire and stated that the facility is primarily used for storing ammunition, including a small amount of small-caliber ammunition.