Poland sees two fires at defense plants in 24 hours

A fire destroyed a two-story warehouse building in Lublin, Poland, Sunday afternoon, gutting facilities owned by JFG Composites, a subcontractor to Leonardo’s PZL-Świdnik helicopter plant, according to Polish outlet Defence24.

The fire broke out around 2:00 p.m. local time on Kasprowicza Street and spread through the building’s warehouse and office sections, PAP reported, according to Slawa. The building burned to the ground. Emergency services received the report shortly before 3:00 p.m., and about 60 firefighters responded to the scene. Gray smoke was visible from several kilometers away.

According to the city’s State Fire Service office in Lublin, no injuries were reported, and no residents needed to be evacuated.

JFG Composites specializes in manufacturing composite materials and components for the aviation industry, according to Defence24. The company operates as a subcontractor for Leonardo, the Italian defense conglomerate that owns PZL-Świdnik, a Polish manufacturer of aircraft including the AW149 helicopter.

Polish authorities have not disclosed a cause for the fire or confirmed whether it is being investigated as accidental or deliberate.

The Lublin fire is at least the second incident this week at a European facility tied to defense or aerospace manufacturing. A fire also broke out overnight Sunday at a WB Electronics facility in Skarżysko-Kamienna, Poland, which produces components for drones used by Polish and Ukrainian forces.

That fire started shortly after midnight in the plant’s assembly department, according to Radio Kielce, which cited a spokeswoman for local police. Five fire crews and police responded, the facility was not operating at the time, and no injuries were reported. Police are investigating the possibility of arson after journalist Jakub Wiech reported that surveillance footage showed a masked person entering the site shortly before the blaze began.

Neither Polish fire nor the incident’s proximity to JFG Composites’ aviation supply chain role has been publicly linked by authorities to the WB Electronics fire or to the broader pattern of suspected sabotage incidents The Defence Blog has tracked at European defense manufacturers this year.

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