Large fire breaks out near St Petersburg, airport closed, authorities blame drone attack

The Pulkovo Airport in St Petersburg, Russia, was closed on Sunday, 10 March, after a hangar caught fire, which spread over a total area of 1,000 square metres. Local authorities claimed that a drone was shot down in the area.

Source: RIA Novosti, a pro-Kremlin Russian news outlet; Aleksandr Drozdenko, Leningrad Oblast Governor; Baza

Details: Local authorities said that a hangar situated along the Volkhonskoye Highway in Leningrad Oblast was on fire; reports suggest that the fire spread over the area of 1,000 square metres. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said that two people sustained injuries in the fire.

The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency said that a number of restrictions were put in place at the Pulkovo Airport at 17:00 in order to ensure the safety of civilian aircraft.

The fire was later contained and the restrictions at Pulkovo lifted.

Baza reported that restrictions at the airport were introduced because of an attempted drone attack on a St Petersburg production facility.

Aleksandr Drozdenko, Leningrad Oblast Governor, claimed that a drone had been shot down over Leningrad Oblast, in the vicinity of the village of Fornosovo. He said there were no casualties and no infrastructure was damaged.

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