BAKU, Sept 2, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Azerbaijani authorities evacuated 5,000 people after a fire triggered explosions at an ammunition depot overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, officials said, adding that there were no casualties.

The blaze broke out at a depot near Nizami village in the western Goranboy district, the emergency situations, defence and interior ministries said in a joint statement.

Emergency and defence ministry personnel, working with police and local authorities, launched an operation and brought the situation under control, they added.

People living nearby were evacuated as a safety precaution, the statement added.

Residents of Nizami and the neighbouring village of Khoylu were moved to nearby areas, Goranboy deputy chief executive Seymur Nazarov told journalists.

"The total number of evacuees is 5,000," said Nazarov, who heads the district's emergency commission.

He said the fire was still burning and sporadic explosions could still be heard, but that efforts were under way to prevent the blaze from spreading and to extinguish it.

No homes had been damaged and no deaths, injuries or serious losses had been recorded, he added.

Security measures were in force at the entrances and exits of both villages, while evacuees were being accommodated in safe conditions, Nazarov said.