BUJUMBURA, Burundi (AP) — A massive fire that erupted at a storage unit inside a military camp in Burundi overnight set off explosives that triggered several blasts and killed 13 people, the army said Wednesday.
The inferno on Tuesday night also left at least 57 people injured. Army spokesperson Gaspard Baratuza said the fire was caused by a short-circuit in the storage unit. Three soldiers were among those injured, he said. It wasn’t clear if all the fatalities were civilians.
Residents near the camp, located in Musaga area on the outskirts of the commercial hub of Bujumbura, the largest city in the East African country, had fled in panic.
The blaze was visible from miles away. The explosions hurled munitions all around the camp, prompting a senior official, Maj. Gen. Aloys Ndayikengurukiye, to urge the public to report any unexploded ordnance or suspicious objects so they could be safely removed.
Baratuza reassured the public that there had been no attack on the military camp and urged residents to remain calm. The fire had also cut off power in the camp and the surrounding areas.
“We ask residents of the Gasekebuye, Kanyosha, Kinindo areas and surrounding neighborhoods to remain calm and not give in to panic,” Baratuza said.
By Wednesday morning, calm was returning to the area. The local government said children who had fled on their own during the incident were at the Buhonga Catholic Parish waiting to be reunited with their families.
