Fire tears through Poland weapons factory, killing 1 worker

Berlin – A fire at a weapons factory in southeastern Poland left one worker dead and another injured on Monday, local police spokesman Jarosław Gwóźdź told CBS News. There was no immediate information on the cause of the fire on Monday morning at the Mesko weapons factory in the town of Skarżysko-Kamienn.

Gwóźdź said it was unclear whether the fire was caused by an explosion as widely reported, but it sent shockwaves through the local community and raised concerns about safety protocols in Poland’s weapons industry.

The incident occurred in one of the production units at the Mesko factory, causing a fire that quickly spread throughout the facility. Emergency services arrived promptly, but by the time firefighters were able to put out the flames, there was significant damage to the building.

The cause of the fire is being investigated, according to local police. Preliminary reports suggested it may have been triggered by a malfunction in production equipment, but authorities did not immediately rule out any possibility. A team of experts, including Polish government representatives and independent safety inspectors, was assembled to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident, Gwóźdź told CBS News.

Gwóźdź said the case had been handed over to Polish national prosecutors and federal police.

Mesko produces a wide range of weapons and ammunition, including shoulder-fired air defense missiles, man-portable anti-tank and anti-personnel missiles, and small arms ammunition. Some of the systems manufactured by Mesko are among the weapons that Poland sent to Ukraine to help the neighboring country in its struggle to defend itself. The ongoing invasion of Russia.

The explosion came as the US State Department announced it was establishing an operation in Poland’s capital to help Ukraine combat disinformation spread by Russia. The U.S. State Department’s Center for Global Engagement, which focuses on disinformation, said in a statement published online which, together with Poland, launched the Ukrainian Communications Group, “to support Ukraine against Russia’s aggression in the information space”.

Polish authorities, along with those in Britain, Germany, France and other European nations, have reported an increase in attempts to sabotage and other disruptive actions attributed to the Russian secret services. Russia routinely dismisses such allegations of meddling as “Russiaphobia” and paranoia.

There was no immediate suggestion from any Polish authority of any suspected nefarious action at the Mesko factory on Monday.

Poland, a member of the US-led NATO alliance that shares a long border with western Ukraine, has been a hub for arms shipments from the US and other partners to Ukraine.

The Polish Armaments Group (PGZ), a holding company created by the country’s government to group many of Poland’s largest weapons manufacturers, said in a statement that a special commission had already begun work at the Mesko facility, “to investigate the circumstances of the incident, including analyzing the circumstances that led to it, checking existing procedures and making recommendations for changes to ensure maximum workplace safety.”

Mesko, one of the leading weapons and ammunition manufacturers under the aegis of PGZ, offered his condolences to the family of the employee who was killed and promised full cooperation with the ongoing investigation.

“We are devastated by this tragic event and are committed to understanding the cause to prevent such incidents in the future,” the company said.