Fire breaks out in southeastern Romania after alleged drone explosion

Update: Romania’s Ministry of National Defence confirmed on Thursday, August 27, that EOD specialists carried out a preliminary on-site assessment of the drone debris in the area of Plauru in Tulcea County and found that the identified fragments do not contain explosive remnants.

The debris was collected for specialist examination, and the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Constanţa Court of Appeal took over the case, according to the same source.

Initial story: A fire broke out on Wednesday, August 26, and spread over 2,000 square meters in Tulcea County, southeastern Romania, after a drone allegedly exploded.

The fire was quickly extinguished by the local authorities, and investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause.

“The most likely cause of the fire, according to the testimony of residents, appears to be the explosion of a drone,” said representatives of Romania’s forest authority Romsilva.

The drone was spotted by residents of the locality of Plauru, situated 2 kilometers from the forest.

The Tulcea Inspectorate for Emergency Situations is carrying out checks to determine the cause of the fire, and a team of EOD specialists from the Ministry of National Defence is heading to the area to conduct an on-site investigation.

“The area was secured, the vegetation fire was extinguished by the structures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, together with the local authorities, and a Border Police crew secured the perimeter during the night,” MApN representatives said.

However, the Defense Ministry noted that no incursions into national airspace had been reported for the same day.

According to the same source, Romania has seen 63 attacks near its borders with Ukraine since the start of the year, and 25 unauthorized entries in its airspace. Four drones were also brought down by Romanian or allied fighter jets after infringing the national airspace.

(Photo source: Radkevich Siarhei|Dreamstime.com)