[2][3] At 6:28 am,[4] Sofia residents were awakened by a powerful, deafening explosion so loud it set off car alarms in districts as far away as Lyulin, some 15 km from the blast.

Explosions continued throughout the day prompting authorities to evacuate the residents of Chelopechene, Chepintsi and Botunets.

A mushroom cloud formed after the first explosion and rose quickly into the morning sky, obscuring the sun.

TV stations and Internet media also reported that "loud explosions were heard in Sofia but the source was not immediately clear".

Bulgarian Nova Television, which is in close proximity to the blast site, showed residents leaving their homes in panic.

[1][2] It is an interesting coincidence that a modernised system of the pan-European 112 emergency telephone line had only become operational at midnight on the same day.

Defence Minister Nikolai Tsonev said that a fire (such as the one that caused the explosions) could not have accidentally occurred, and if it had indeed been an accident, that "whole blocks of flats would have been toppled".

[3] Prosecutor General Boris Velchev considers the security of the facility inadequate and intends to investigate why the 1,500 tonnes of munitions were guarded only by two retired servicemen.

On June 10, it became clear that 200 tonnes of munitions had been missing from the warehouses; one version being circulated was that the explosions aimed to cover up wrongdoings.

[11][12] Residents thought this was another explosion and rushed to the streets in panic, especially those living in high-rise buildings in the Mladost district.