Additional forces have been deployed to extinguish a fire at an oil depot in Tikhoretsk.

Firefighters were unable to contain the fire at an oil depot in the suburbs of Tikhoretsk, and additional resources have been deployed to extinguish the blaze. Rospotrebnadzor (the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing) has detected exceeded permissible concentrations of harmful substances in the air.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," an oil depot in the Tikhoretsk district of Krasnodar Krai caught fire on the night of March 12 as a result of the fall of a drone. The fire covered 150 square meters. By day, the fire had reached 3,800 square meters. Sanitary doctors recommended local residents to remain indoors and close their windows.

On the evening of March 12, the Kuban task force reported an increase in the number of firefighters and equipment working at an oil depot near Tikhoretsk, where a fire continues.

"The group involved in the cleanup has been increased to 270 people and 72 pieces of equipment. Specialists from the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Krasnodar Territory are participating," reads a statement on the operational headquarters' official Telegram channel.

By the evening of March 12, the fire's size had not been reduced and remained at 3,800 square meters.

The Krasnodar Krai Office of Rospotrebnadzor reported on the evening of March 12 that benzene and xylene concentrations in the air in Tikhoretsk exceeded maximum permissible levels. Air samples were taken at five locations.

"Based on the results of the most recent tests, benzene and xylene levels were found to be above the maximum permissible concentration limits. Sampling and laboratory testing are ongoing," TASS quoted the agency as saying.

Any fire of this scale poses a threat to human health, said Valery Brinikh, head of the Adygea branch of the All-Russian Society for Nature Conservation. "The danger to the population, as with any fire, is smoke. The air can contain elevated concentrations of hazardous substances, making it difficult to breathe and potentially damaging to the lungs. In this case, there are also all sorts of man-made problems, because diesel fuel and other substances are burning, and the entire periodic table could be involved," he told the Caucasian Knot earlier. Caucasian Knot also reported that on March 11, drone debris hit multi-story buildings in Anapa and Sochi and the courtyard of a multi-story building in Krasnodar. Authorities said there were no casualties.