Explosions and detonations in the Sloboda military factory in Cacak have caused damage to 14 houses located in the immediate vicinity of the factory, BETA was told on Dec. 28 by the deputy mayor of Cacak, Radomir Kruscic.

He said that the houses suffered damaged roofs and walls and that the windows were broken, and added that the city commission for damage assessment is inspecting the houses.

The explosions, caused by a fire which broke out at 4:25 p.m. on Dec. 27 in the munitions assembly plant, continued until the morning of Dec. 28. The fire in the factory was localized and has burned itself out.

No official statements can be obtained at the factory because the management is inspecting the accident site with the relevant services. Investigation into what caused the fire is underway.

Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac told BETA that it is difficult to say what had caused the event, stressing that the Defense Ministry will try to help Sloboda, as soon as the first few months of 2011, to reconstruct its production capacities and restart operations.