The Melted Bricks of Fort Zverev in Russia

The Melted Bricks of Fort Zverev in Russia – It is situated on the shores of the Baltic Sea in northern Kronstadt and lies completely in ruins nowadays. But Fort Zverev tranquil inspires the imaginations of tourists to the artificial island, just north of Kronstadt, nearby St Petersburg, where the remains stand overlooking the sea. Fort Zverev was actually built in the middle of the 18^th century (the 1860s) by engineer Konstantin Zverev.

Later on, Fort named was associated with him in order to strengthen the northern fairway of the Gulf of Finland. The Zverev fort had a mushroom shape with a curved ceiling a new design different from all Konstantin Zverev had built before. Zverev Fort successfully applied asphalt as a building material completely floors were covered with natural asphalt solution, and this was the first in Russia at that time.

At the start of the 20^th century, the fort was transformed into a sea mines warehouse and ammunition dump and continued to remain on duty long after World War II ended and used as military training and practical shooting.

In the 1970s the fort was described as ‘hell on earth the rusting bunker was destroyed by a savage fire that tore through the structure and the blaze ignited with massive fire and spread to engulf a network that raged for many weeks and the blast swept through the basement, sparking an uncontrollable inferno as the fuel lit and fire finally subsided and fort cooled down enough to enter in the basement, which was entirely unrecognizable the smooth chamber walls once stood, a dark and rough cave was left in its wake.

The inferno was too much hot that it factually melted the bricks above which dripped down like stalactites. It was not figured what kind of material fueled the fire but from the nature of the damage, it was apparent that it was something that burned penetratingly hot. Even though normal household fire, strong brick does not melt, and requires too much temperature perhaps less than 1,800 degrees centigrade.

For comparison, a large gasoline fire produces a temperature of around 1,100 degrees. Various speculates that the Russians were testing an innovative kind of weapon perhaps a high phosphorus-containing compound alike napalm that burned which is reaching temperatures of 2,000C, the fire was so hot the brick walls and ceiling melted, leaving strange icicle-like formations hanging from the ceiling.

According to another version, the fort was a cesspool of lubricants and decommissioned ammunition, bilge water, and waste from ships that were accidentally set on fire by careless tourists. But the actual truth will never be known.

Source: Amusing Planet and Mail online