A fire broke out at an ammunition factory in Slovakia

30 October, 2024 Artillery projectiles produced by the ZVS Holding company. Photo of the manufacturer's press service A fire broke out the day before in the premises of the ZVS Holding company in the Slovak city of Snina, which produces artillery shells, particularly for Ukraine.

The Slovak publication Dennik N reported about this on October 29. The fire broke out at 1:30 p.m. local time in a hydraulic press used to form the steel cases of large-caliber ammunition. The fire engulfed a hydraulic oil tank and part of the production shop's roof and was contained by evening.

The fire resulted in two workers being poisoned by combustion products. No other injuries were reported as of Tuesday evening.

155mm artillery shells at ZVS Holding's facility in Snina, Slovakia. Photo credits: TASR

The ZVS Holding press service reported that no explosives are used at the Snizhne plant, but only steel shell casings are produced.

Once manufactured, the ammunition casings are sent to another plant, where the explosives are filled. The exact cause of the fire is being established. The damage or impact on the production itself has not been estimated.

There are no publicly available photos or videos of the fire at this plant in Slovakia.

A robotic manipulator on a shell production line in Snina. Photo credits: Ministry of Defense of the Slovak Republic

It is worth noting that the Slovak company ZVS Holding opened a new line in Snina in early October this year for the production of 155 mm artillery ammunition cases. The new production line should allow the holding to significantly increase the production of large-caliber ammunition cases in the coming years.

The new equipment is expected to increase the annual production of 155 mm artillery ammunition to 360,000 units by 2026.

The cost of the investment in the production expansion amounted to EUR31.5 million.

In total, more than EUR80 million was invested in the Snina plant.