The disaster was caused by a fire which broke out in the S.E Fireworks depot on May 13, 2000.
There was several suspisions about the cause of the fire (arson, electrical shortcircuit)
but it was not determined.
In two explosions approximatly 100 tonnes of explosives was detonated.
The blast was felt up to 30 kilometers away. After the explosions came an enormous fire. Some 400 apartments were reduced to cinders, another 1000 were damaged.
Due to explsion there was a release of hazardous asbestos.
There were casualties. 18 civilians and 4 firefighters were killed, 947 were injured
(many of them seriously).
It is thought that the directors of the factory had no necessary authorisation and illegally
stored material on the premises as the operating permit was related only to the storage and assembly,
not to the production of fireworks articles.
