A fire broke out in an underground magazine store of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at Chandipur, about 15 km from Balasore on Monday morning, triggering a string of explosions.

“The fire triggered explosions as it erupted in the magazine store of the Proof and Experimental Establishment (PXE) where shells and ammunition of different capacities and sizes are stored for test,” Officer In-Charge of Chandipur police station P K Acharya said.

No casualty was reported so far and over a dozen fire tenders were pressed into service to control the blaze, he said, adding that the entire complex was sealed.

Officials of PXE, which is located near the premier missile trial centre Integrated Test Range (ITR), were tight-lipped about the incident but said immediate steps were taken to contain the fire and prevent its spread.

“The fire was restricted to the underground magazine store and no other facility inside the PXE complex was affected due to the incident,” they said.

Different shells and ammunition of various artillery systems, including the 155 mm Bofors field guns are brought to the PXE for test, the officials said, adding that Pinaka rockets are also test-fired from PXE complex.

The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained and further details were awaited.