The major fire broke out at the ammunition plant at around 19:00 GMT on Monday, the Atlas News reported, citing spokesperson for US defense corporation General Dynamics and eyewitnesses. The eyewitnesses also shared video and photos showing dark smoke coming from the plant's pipes.
General Dynamics, which owns the facility, told Atlas News that the fire was soon extinguished without causing casualties.
The plant is one of the seven production arsenals manufacturing military munitions for the US army, including large-caliber metal projectiles and mortar shells such as 155 mm caliber projectiles, the report said.
The Scranton plant has been specially modernized to produce shells for Ukraine, US magazine National Defense reported. Before the Ukraine conflict, the factory produced an average of 7,000 artillery shells per month, while now it is expected to manufacture as many as 35,000 artillery shells per month by 2027, the report said.
Western countries have been providing military and financial aid to Kiev since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. The Kremlin has consistently warned against continued arms deliveries to Kiev, saying it would lead to further escalation of the conflict. In April 2022, Russia sent a diplomatic note to all NATO countries on the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russia.