Ammunition stored in the area south of Russianear the border with Ukrainecaught fire today and a local official blamed the area’s high temperatures.

This is the second such incident in a week.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod, said the village of Timonovo was evacuated when ammunition began to explode. No harm done.

Last week, residents of Timonovo and Soloti, located 15 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, were evacuated due to a fire in a nearby ammunition depot. It is not clear from Gladkov’s statements whether today’s incident took place at the same warehouse or whether it was ammunition moved to another location.

In previous months, the governor blamed Ukrainian forces for bombings near Belgorod, 650 kilometers south of Moscow.

Kyiv generally does not take responsibility for the explosions in Russia and sometimes comments that they occurred due to negligence. “In a few months, we will find out if Russian ammunition can explode due to the cold,” the Defense Ministry joked in a Twitter post today. “The top five causes of sudden eruptions in Russia are winter, spring, summer, autumn and smoking,” he added.

^{Source: APE-MEB, AFP.}