Fire damages Starlink station in Poland as cause remains unclear

A fire late Wednesday damaged power equipment at a Starlink-connected ground station in Wola Krobowska, south of Warsaw, prompting Polish officials to raise concerns about possible sabotage. The cause has not been established, and reports differ on whether the fire interrupted internet service. No injuries were reported. The station, operated by state-owned telecommunications company Exatel, routes satellite internet traffic to ground networks in Poland and beyond, including Ukraine. Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said the fire appeared deliberately intended to disable the facility and disrupt access for institutions, including Ukraine’s military. He said the station remained operational. The fire damaged the station’s power supply, distribution board and generator. Firefighters extinguished it, and police took over the investigation. A spokesperson for the minister responsible for special services, Jacek Dobrzyński, said investigators were considering several possibilities, including deliberate arson and an electrical short circuit. He cautioned that it was too early to characterize the incident as sabotage.