Yea, a live round in a fire would set it off and cause the case to rupture like that and push out the primer.
Head stamp looks like it may be NATO surplus, made in a European country in 1968. There are head stamp guides on line for you to search.
Probably it is one of the common rounds. Measure the head diameter and compare to published dimensions.
With the case damage there isn't a length so you may not be able to pin down the exact cartridge.
Nato used the circle and cross, a star more likely indicates soviet production. The 68 indicates the year. Also, Nato ammo never or very rarely used that type of priming system. My best guess would be either 8mm mauser or 7.62x39.
Nato used the circle and cross, a star more likely indicates soviet production. The 68 indicates the year. Also, Nato ammo never or very rarely used that type of priming system. My best guess would be either 8mm mauser or 7.62x39.
Ok on NATO markings and probable a Soviet casing.
Agree on the Mauser guess (7.92mm), a fairly common round for many years.
I even found a 7.92 X 57 Mauser case at a farm site in PA. Its head stamp is a "55 'star' IX".