A Starlink Station Caught Fire in Poland: What’s Known

Starlink Station. Photo: RMF

In the village of Wola Króbarska in the Masovian Voivodeship, a fire occurred at a ground infrastructure facility of the Starlink satellite network. This station provides Internet connectivity for a large part of Central and Eastern Europe, including Ukraine. At present, among the possible causes under consideration are arson and a short circuit.

Reported by RMF, via News.LIVE.

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Fire at the Starlink station in Poland

The owner of the site where part of the communications infrastructure was located contacted emergency services. He reported a fire in the antennas and damage to a generator. Firefighters promptly extinguished the fire.

One of the possible causes of the fire could have been arson of the distribution cabinet. At the same time, law enforcement and experts are also considering the version of a short circuit in the electrical system.

Police from the riot control unit and officers of the provincial administration arrived at the scene. The incident was also reported to the Internal Security Agency of Poland and the Central Bureau of Investigation of the Police.

According to RMF FM journalist Krzysztof Zasada, there are about ten white spherical antennas with a diameter of roughly two meters on the site. The facility is surrounded by a metal fence.

And Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawłowski stated that at this moment there are many signs that could indicate deliberate arson and an attempt to render the station inoperable.

According to him, the station operator is the state telecommunications operator Exatel, which is part of ensuring Internet security and providing Internet access, including for Ukraine.

He noted that outages at such stations can cause disruptions to Internet connectivity and, in particular, affect ATMs.

As News.LIVE reported, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, Mariusz Kamiński, and the Minister of National Defence, Mieczysław Błaszczak, announced increased security measures at six border crossing points in the Lublin and Subcarpathian voivodeships bordering Ukraine.

And on 23 September, in response to the Russian attack on Ukraine, Poland brought its military aviation to readiness and temporarily restricted airport operations. Ground-based air defense and radar systems were also put on high alert.