Thursday, a fire ripped through the Russian Ministry of Defense’s 2nd Central Scientific-Research Institute in Tver, some 80 miles northeast of Moscow.

This “research institute” is responsible for designing surface-to-air missiles and ballistic missiles for Russia’s aerospace military programs.

There is no official number of casualties, but there are dozens injured and some fatalities.

⚡️Russian military research facility in Tver, Russia is on fire. Multiple are dead and injured. This facility develops SAMs and ballistic missiles.⚡️ pic.twitter.com/cLuZbKD126

— spook (@spook_info) April 21, 2022

Aerospace defence research institute of the Russian Ministry of Defence burnt down in Tver. "Iskander" and "S-400" missile systems were designed here. Reportedly it was the old wiring and flammable plastic cladding that caused the fire. So far they reported 2 dead and 30 wounded pic.twitter.com/0uIjfSfnXt

— Kamil Galeev (@kamilkazani) April 21, 2022

Russia: 12 people wounded as result of fire at military Air-Space Defense research institute in Tver https://t.co/GSOvFKzttA pic.twitter.com/IOx2DviJec

— Liveuamap (@Liveuamap) April 21, 2022

The roof, the roof.

The roof of military research institute in Tver' has partially collapsed. Number of wounded increased to 30 pic.twitter.com/fLx8u2Wdpf

— Liveuamap (@Liveuamap) April 21, 2022

⚡️⚡️⚡️#Rusya'nın Tver şehrinde bulunan Hava Savunma Araştırma Enstitüsü binasında yangın çıktı. Enstitü, Rusya'da S-300 ve S-400 füze sistemlerini geliştiren kurum olarak biliniyor… https://t.co/Nl0l8al8Rq#StopRussiaNOW #StopPutinsWar #UkraineUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/Ay9EwK1iIW

— Qırım Haber Ajansı (@qirimhaber) April 21, 2022

The Russian 'Central Research Institute of the Aerospace Defense Forces' in Tver, burning merrily.🔥

Many weapons currently being used by Russia in their war against Ukraine were developed at this facility.pic.twitter.com/smO0qB9HQZ

— Jimmy (@JimmySecUK) April 21, 2022

🔥 Fire in the Russian Research Institute in Tver: according to the latest data, five persons died.
The institution took an active part in the development of Iskander missile system, developed navigation devices, control systems, Defense Express reports. pic.twitter.com/aWRF95w6M1

— Toronto Television / Телебачення Торонто (@tvtoront) April 21, 2022

The official story is that old construction and flammable insulation caught fire.

There are several takeaways from this conflagration.

• Housing a critical design facility in a firetrap speaks volumes for the state of Russia’s military.
• It is a safe bet that a lot of design work is either on computer hard drives or file servers located in the facility; the data loss will be catastrophic.
• If the number of dead and wounded runs to 40 or 50, that means a significant number of the design bureau’s scientific and engineering staff are out of action.

What is unclear to me is how any accidental fire could have spread the way this fire did.