Explosions
After the plant caught fire, shells scattered all over the industrial part of the city, Zarechye and some of them reached the banks of the Kazanka River and Kazan Kremlin, i.e. Kazan's downtown.
Just after the beginning of the fire Luknitsky arrived at the plant and personally unlocked a sluice to douse dangerous depots and workshops. However he was wounded by a shell detonation and died of loss of blood that night, on 14 August. The next two days fire devastated most of the plant, but no major detonation followed, possibly due to Luknitsky's personal heroism. After that he was referred to as a "person who saved the city". As contemporaries wrote, "a half of the city's population joined his funeral procession".
Martial law was declared in the city on the next day, as criminals marauded in deserted quarters. Militia cordoned off unexploded shells to protect civilians. After 16 August the small fires remaining were extinguished in the industrial areas.
Read more about this topic: 1917 Kazan Gunpowder Plant Fire
Famous quotes containing the word explosions:
“Our Lamaze instructor . . . assured our class . . . that our cervix muscles would become “naturally numb” as they swelled and stretched, and deep breathing would turn the final explosions of pain into “manageable discomfort.” This descriptions turned out to be as accurate as, say a steward advising passengers aboard the Titanic to prepare for a brisk but bracing swim.”
—Mary Kay Blakely (20th century)