An explosion and a fire at an armaments plant in Poland kills 1 person and injures another

WARSAW, Poland — An explosion at an armaments plant in Poland on Monday caused a fire that killed a 59-year-old man who worked there and injured another person, officials said.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that there was no reason to assume that an “external force” was behind Monday’s explosion at the Mesko plant.

Poland has recently witnessed a string of fires, and officials have been investigating whether these could be the results of sabotage by Russian or Belarusian secret services in reaction to Polish support for Ukraine.

The blast occurred at the Mesko plant in the town of Skarzysko-Kamienna, according to a statement published by the Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (Polish Armaments Group), a state holding group that unites weapons manufacturing companies.

“This is a huge tragedy for the entire Polish Armaments Group,” the group said on its website. It said an investigation was underway.

The plant is a manufacturer of ammunition, including missiles. Skarzysko-Kamienna is about 135 kilometers (85 miles) south of Poland's capital, Warsaw.