Arms depot ablaze in Ukraine

Around 20,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in and around the town of Balaklea in Ukraine’s Kharkov region, as emergency services struggle to battle a massive fire that has been raging at a local arms depot since late last night. The prosecutor’s office treats the fire and explosions as an act of diversion.

Ukrainian TV hromadske.ua is reporting live from the scene.

About 600 law-enforcers have been deployed to the site to ensure safety and order.

Gas and electricity have been cut off in the area, and all transport stopped.

The sky over the area has been closed off to traffic, Ukrainian defense minister Stepan Poltorak said, adding the incident had delivered a heavy blow to the country’s military defense potential.

Ukraine’s PM Vladimir Groisman is on his way to the place.