Fire at DRDO complex, no loss of life reported

A fire broke out at a magazine storage area of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at Chandipur in Odisha Monday. It was brought under control by fire fighters in five hours, officials said.

The fire erupted around 4 a.m. at the storage area of the Proof and Experimental Establishment (PXE), in Balasore district, about 230 km from state capital Bhubaneswar.

"There was no harm to any individual. There has been no damage to the surrounding buildings or facilities," DRDO Spokesman Ravi Kumar Gupta said.

PXE is a DRDO laboratory that conducts testing and proofing of arms and ammunition.

An official of the PXE said fire fighters rushed to the site and were able to prevent its spread. People living nearby were evacuated after a security guard informed authorities of the blaze.

There was no electrical circuit in the building. A probe has been ordered to find out the exact cause of the fire.

The affected storage area had some low-intensity ammunition which may have been destroyed in the fire, the official said, recalling that a similar accident had occurred in the area about 15 years ago.