No one was hurt in the blaze that broke out in the village of Sultana, 70 kilometres (43 miles) from Jaisalmer town, at around 9 am (0330 GMT), senior police officer Somnath Shekhar told AFP.

He said an explosion was heard in one of the four ammunition sheds maintained by the army in the village and then spread, gutting ammunition and mines that had been removed after the crisis last year with Pakistan.

"Almost 70 percent of the ammunition was destroyed before the fire could be controlled after three to four hours," Shekhar said.

Villagers were kept from going near the site.

The army has launched an inquiry into the incident but preliminary reports indicate high temperatures were the reason behind the fire.

Blazes are common in the summer in the desert state of Rajasthan, where temperatures regularly shoot past 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit).

At least 16 fires have broken out at ammunition depots across India in the past three years.

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