Vladimir Rogov said that the early explosion resulted in at least one death. He labeled the event as a terrorist aAttack.
In a preliminary investigation, the neighborhood police unit identified the victim as one of its officers, according to the TASS news agency.
The official added that the explosion, which occurred in a residential area, had enough force to completely destroy a nearby car as well as break glass in apartment buildings that reached the ninth story.
Rogov posted footage purportedly shot at the scene, in which a firefighter can be seen dousing flames at the site of a car wreckage.
Zaporozhye Region, formerly a part of Ukraine, joined Russia last year after people living there voted in a referendum for the transition. Kiev dismissed the ballot as a “sham.” Energodar is notable as the site of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, the largest atomic facility in Europe.
