A fire at the Cugir Mechanical Plant in central Romania has caused estimated damages of more than €400,000, destroying hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition and prompting an ongoing criminal investigation.

The cause of the blaze remains unknown, but Economy Minister Radu Miruță, who visited the site on Saturday, did not exclude the possibility of sabotage.

The fire broke out late on the night of 1 August and rapidly spread through one of the plant’s storage facilities, where large quantities of ammunition were kept. The incident triggered multiple explosions as crates of machine gun cartridges ignited in sequence. According to initial estimates, around 150,000 cartridges were completely destroyed, and a further 250,000 may be rendered unusable due to heat and blast damage.

The National Institute of Forensics is leading the investigation, while a separate criminal case has been opened by Romanian prosecutors. No injuries were reported, as the facility was unoccupied at the time the fire started. Emergency services were alerted after explosions were heard from within the building.

Efforts to bring the fire under control lasted more than six hours. Due to the risk of further explosions, fire crews were unable to access the main hall directly and had to deploy remote-controlled fire suppression robots. Firefighters from several neighbouring counties were mobilised to assist in containing the blaze.

Minister Miruță, speaking from the scene on 2 August, said that all possible causes were being considered, including accidental ignition and deliberate external interference.

“What matters to me is to understand precisely what triggered this: was it internal, external, or self-ignition?” Miruță told reporters. “All scenarios remain on the table, with varying degrees of likelihood. We await the conclusions of the experts from the National Institute of Forensics. For now, we allow the specialists to do their work.”

Miruță also expressed concern about the vulnerability of a strategic facility such as Cugir to incidents of this nature. “It is worrying that such events can occur in a munitions plant. If they happened, it means they could not be entirely prevented,” he said.

Despite the scale of the damage, the minister assured that the plant’s production schedule and contractual obligations would not be affected in the short term. It remains unclear whether the destroyed munitions were intended for domestic use or export.

The Cugir Mechanical Plant, located in Alba County, manufactures small arms and ammunition of various calibres, including both automatic and semi-automatic pistols. The facility was originally established in 1799 during the Habsburg Empire as the Iron and Steel Factory. In 2004, the original enterprise was divided into two separate entities: the Cugir Mechanical Plant and the Cugir Arms Factory.

The plant is one of Romania’s key military production facilities, operating under the oversight of the Ministry of Economy. It has been involved in various national and international defence supply contracts, although details of recent contracts have not been disclosed.

Romanian authorities are treating the incident with caution, given the strategic importance of the site and the nature of the materials involved. The scale of the fire, combined with the pattern of explosions, has heightened scrutiny over the plant’s safety protocols and storage procedures.

Security measures at the facility are likely to come under review following the incident, with particular attention to fire prevention systems and access controls. While no definitive timeline for the forensic investigation has been announced, preliminary findings are expected to guide further inquiries, including the potential involvement of state or non-state actors in a sabotage scenario.

The Ministry of Defence has not issued a separate statement, but sources familiar with the matter said cooperation is ongoing between economic, defence, and judicial authorities.

The fire at Cugir adds to a series of incidents across Europe involving military or dual-use infrastructure in recent months. Although no connection has yet been established, regional security officials are expected to monitor the outcome of the Romanian inquiry closely.