Several warehouses where almost 1,000 metric tons of Soviet-era toxic substances have been stored, caught fire in the Sumy Region in northern Ukraine, the 1+1 TV channel reported on Aug. 25.
The warehouses were built in the 1970s to temporary store toxic chemicals before proper disposal. However, the chemicals have never been removed.
"The emergencies ministry says [the fire] was most likely caused by rain. It rained heavily the day before, and rainwater could have got inside through holes in the roof, causing a chemical reaction, smoldering and toxic smoke," the channel said.
