NAYPYITAW, 05 November 2021, (TON): Locals in northern Rakhine State fled their homes to hide in bunkers as several large explosions rocked a nearby military base, followed by the sound of guns and sightings of flames and smoke.

The villagers from Kyauk Yan Thazi, Rathedaung Township, thought that fighting had erupted again between the military and the Arakan Army (AA) almost exactly a year after the two sides reached an unofficial ceasefire.

But a junta official reportedly said “the explosions were caused by a fire. The base is situated in the hills near Manyintaung village, about a mile north of Kyauk Yan Thazi.”

A local from Kyauk Yan Thazi said “we heard five explosions and several gunshots and we saw that there was a fire at the military base.”

“The fire started right after the first explosion. It was so bright.”

There are several military bases in Manyintaung and the surrounding hills, he added. Residents from Kyauk Yan Thazi packed their things and hid in bunkers that had been prepared during previous fighting between the military and the AA.

After the explosions, a military official called a village administrator and told him that artillery shells at the base had exploded after the place where they were stored caught fire, according to a resident of Pyeintaw village, which is also a mile from the base.