A fire broke out at an ammunition plant in the United States
16 April, 2024 A fire at an ammunition plant in Scranton, USA. April 15, 2024. Photo credits: NEPA Fire Photography
A fire broke out in Pennsylvania, United States, at a plant that produces ammunition supplied, among other places, to Ukraine. Militarnyi reported on this. The fire broke out at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant on Monday, April 15, in the afternoon around 3:00 p.m. local time.
Eyewitnesses among the locals posted photos from the scene, capturing smoke over the plant's building. Firefighters immediately arrived to extinguish the fire.
A fire at an ammunition plant in Scranton, USA. April 15, 2024.
Photo credits: NEPA Fire Photography
Subsequently, General Dynamics-Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS), which manages the company, confirmed the fire but noted that it was small and had already been extinguished. It is preliminarily reported that no one was injured in the fire. The cause is currently unknown.
The ammunition plant is currently assessing the damage to determine the possible consequences for the enterprise or production.
Artillery shells in Scranton, Pennsylvania, February 2023. Photo credits: Brendan McDermid/Reuters
The Scranton plant is a facility of the U.S. Army's Joint Munitions Command that produces large-caliber metal projectiles and mortar projectiles for the U.S.
Department of Defense. It is one of the largest American manufacturers. The artillery ammunition produced at the plant, including 155 mm caliber, is supplied to the US Army's depots and is also provided to Ukraine within international military assistance.
105mm projectile for the L119 howitzer of the military of Ukraine.
September 2022, Ukraine. Photo credits: ArmyInform
Since 2022, the Scranton plant has been gradually ramping up production to meet the needs of the US military and Ukraine. Large-caliber artillery ammunition is very important for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to effectively fight against the Russian invaders.
In March 2024, the United States sent a £300 million aid package to Ukraine to meet the needs of the Ukrainian Defense Forces for air defense, artillery, and anti-tank weapons.