ASTRAKHAN, May 17. /TASS/. Heavy fire is raging on the premises of a rubber factory in the city of Astrakhan, in the lower reaches of the Volga River. The blaze has spread to an area of 2,000 square meters. The possibility of calling fire-fighting aircraft is being considered, the chief of the Astrakhan Region’s Emergencies Ministry office, Dmitry Dubrovsky has told TASS.
"According to the latest estimates the affected area has grown to 2,000 square meters. A fire-fighting helicopter Mi-8 may be commissioned to deal with the fire," he said.
Twenty seven people have been evacuated. There were no casualties.
The alarm call came at 17:28 Moscow time. Twenty four vehicles and 60 fire-fighters have been brought to the scene.
The Duna-AST plant is a major Russian manufacturer of rubber footwear. The company was established in 1999 on the basis of the an Astrakhan plant of PVC footwear. Its line of products consists of some 200 items.