Explosion occurred in the Czech Republic at an ammunition depot of a defense company

25 March, 2025 Smoke rising over the factory where the explosion occurred. Czech Republic, March 25, 2025. Photo credits: Andrea H?jkov?

On the morning of March 25, an explosion took place at an ammunition depot of a defense company in the Czech Republic. A fire broke out afterward. The evacuation of the population from the surrounding areas continues.

Armored fire trucks are being used to eliminate the fire. The Czech Fire and Rescue Service reported on this. The explosion happened at about 9:00 a.m. at the Poli?sk? stroj?ren plant near the town of Poli?ka.

After that, the evacuation of employees began. One person was seriously injured and was taken to the hospital by helicopter.

Ve stroj?rensk?m podniku v Poli?ce do?lo p?ed 9:00 hodinou k explozi.
Vzhledem k nebezpe?n? povaze prost?ed? je vyhl??en 3. st po??rn?ho poplachu.
Hasi?i evakuovali 1 zran?nou osobu a p?edali ji ZZS.
Dal?? osoby z are?lu evakuujeme. @HZS_Pardubice m? na m?st?

11 jednotek. -- Hasi?sk? z?chrann? sbor ?R (@hasici_cr) March 25, 2025

"There was an explosion at an ammunition depot. People were evacuated. There is one victim," Alena Kysyala, a spokeswoman for the rescue service, reported in the morning, according to ?TK Ceske Noviny.

As of 12:00 p.m., 11 fire crews were working at the scene. Several nearby roads are blocked.

The road near the plant where the explosion occurred has been blocked. Czech Republic.

March 25, 2025. Photo credits: CTK/Vost?rek Josef

At 13:30, the fire and rescue service reported that they had begun evacuating people living within 1.5 kilometers of the scene. The police preliminarily linked the incident to a process disruption.

The Czech iROZHLAS news portal reports that the Poli?sk? stroj?rny facility, where the explosion occurred, belongs to the STV Invest holding, which leases part of the company's premises. It is noted that the STV group's plant near Poli?ka produces large-caliber ammunition, which is used, among other places, in Ukraine. It also repairs military equipment and supplies spare parts.

Property remains in the village of Vrbetice after the explosions in the warehouses.

Photo credits: radio.cz

Last April, the Czech police accused Russian special services of committing a series of sabotage attacks on ammunition depots in Vrbetice that took place in 2014.