Uzbek officials say three people were killed and 21 others injured in a series of explosions at an ammunition depot at a military base in southern Uzbekistan.

The Uzbek Emergencies Ministry Thursday said the explosions began after a fire broke out at a Soviet-era missile and artillery ammunition depot in the town of Kagan. 

At least two other buildings are reportedly destroyed in the blasts from the ammunition depot.  Authorities have evacuated and closed off Kagan.

Witnesses say the explosions shattered windows 12 kilometers away in the the city of Bukhara.

The cause of the initial fire remains unclear.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.