One person was killed and two were injured today when a munitions dump at a military camp near Haifa blew up. The dead man, who was not immediately identified, was a resident of Jenin in Samaria who happened to be in the area at the time of the explosion. The blast occured in Kiryat Hayim, a suburb and industrial zone northeast of Haifa.
The explosives continued to detonate for two-and-a-half hours before fire-fighters on land and in the air were able to approach the area to attempt to put out a massive conflagration that developed. Workers in nearby plants and residents were ordered into bomb shelters and the entire region was cordoned off from traffic. Warnings were issued to the public to stay in their homes and not to touch unexploded shells.
The cause of the explosion was not immediately determined. One report said it was touched off by a smoke grenade which ignited a small munitions store and then spread to larger concentrations of shells and explosives.
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