Explosion at Colleferro Ammunition Plant Near Rome
A fire broke out in the gunpowder pressing section at KNDS Ammo Italy, followed by an explosion. All 24 workers on shift were evacuated in time, and Velletri prosecutors have ruled out sabotage.
An explosion at the KNDS Ammo Italy ammunition plant in Colleferro, near Rome, went off in the early afternoon on Thursday, August 13, strong enough that the blast was heard several kilometers away in neighboring towns. All 24 workers on shift at the time were evacuated before the explosion, and there were no injuries or deaths. The Velletri Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the fire and has already ruled out sabotage.
The plant in question is not just any industrial building. Located in the Quarto Chilometro zone along Via Ariana, it is the successor to the former Simmel Difesa and is now owned by the Franco German defense group KNDS. Its production lines make:
- medium caliber ammunition for ground forces
- large caliber ammunition for ground and naval forces
- solid propellants for space launchers
- 155 millimeter artillery shells to NATO standard
That last item is why news of the explosion in Italy crossed over from local reporting into wider coverage the same afternoon. The 155 millimeter shells produced in Colleferro reach Ukraine through European partners, under contracts signed with the European Defence Agency, so the question of whether this was an attack was raised before firefighters had even put out the first hot spots.
What happened in the gunpowder pressing section
According to the carabinieri’s initial findings, the accident occurred in the gunpowder pressing department, where a press exploded during operation. The fire broke out first, triggering the automatic fire suppression system, and that bought workers the time they needed. Employees reached the designated safe zones before the deflagration followed.
Footage filmed by residents near the plant shows a column of smoke and orange flames dozens of meters high, with burning debris raining down. The roof of the building collapsed and effectively acted as a pressure valve: the force of the blast was directed upward rather than sideways into the rest of the complex. The fire was contained to a single section of the plant.
The company said it does not yet have confirmed details about the cause or the exact sequence of events.
The circumstances of the incident are currently being examined and assessed by teams on the ground.
A final answer will only come once every hot spot has been extinguished and the duty prosecutor and firefighters are able to enter the plant and carry out an on site inspection.
Local authorities respond
Firefighters, carabinieri, paramedics and civil protection teams responded to the scene. Mayor Giulio Calamita did not activate the municipal emergency operations center, the nearby shopping center was not evacuated, and no procedures to assist residents were triggered.
“The situation is under control,” Calamita said from the site of the explosion.
Lazio region president Francesco Rocca said that in those hours the priority was to guarantee people’s safety and let every response team work in the best possible conditions. Pasquale Ciaccarelli, the regional official in charge of civil protection, informed the mayor that he was ready to act if additional measures were needed.
Same plant, different outcome nineteen years ago
In October 2007, an explosion at the same factory, then still operating under the name Simmel Difesa, killed one person and injured 13. The comparison to Thursday is not just rhetorical: that time the outcome was fatal, this time the fire suppression system activated before the detonation and the section was empty when it exploded.
KNDS’s Italian subsidiary ranks among the country’s top fifteen exporters of ammunition, and in 2025 it received about 42 million euros in new export licenses for Europe, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. There is also a project to expand production to a nearby plant in Anagni, which has so far been used to deactivate artillery shells, and last year the municipality was presented with a plan to produce nitrocellulose, a base ingredient of explosives and ammunition.
Political debate over Italy’s arms industry opened the same day. Ilaria Fontana, deputy leader of the Five Star Movement’s parliamentary group, said the safety of industrial facilities tied to war materiel production can no longer be put off. Democratic Party senator Filippo Sensi responded on X that, before anyone had even confirmed whether there were casualties, those who turn tragedy into politics had already jumped in, and expressed solidarity with the plant’s management, workers and the people of Colleferro.
The on site inspection of the gunpowder pressing section is scheduled as soon as firefighters confirm no hot spots remain.
