A huge forest fire has erupted in Chernobyl as the region is also gripped by fears of a new nuclear accident due to Russian strikes. A large scale blaze in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in Ukraine’s Kyiv region has already spread over 1,100 hectares (4.2 miles), the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES) says.
The fire is spreading rapidly across the region due to strong gusts, allowing the blaze to spread into new areas of the forest. The presence of landmines in certain parts of the territory, along with the risk of unexploded ordnance, makes those areas inaccessible to emergency services, forcing crews to halt operations. A spokesperson for the ES said: “The situation is complicated by dry weather, strong winds and mine danger in certain areas of the territory, which significantly limits the possibility of extinguishing work.
“In particular, in some forest blocks, work is temporarily not carried out due to the threat of explosive objects.”
The SES says rescue teams are “working in an intensified mode” where they are focusing on containing the fire and stopping it from spreading further.
The growing fire has prompted a massive emergency response with units from the State Emergency Service, special equipment forces and crews from other services all helping to extinguish the blaze.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last month issued an urgent alert following a fatal incident at the Russian occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
The ongoing war has taken a heavy toll on the site, after the protective dome over the reactor that exploded in Ukraine’s Chornobyl in 1986 was reportedly damaged in an alleged Russian strike last February.
Although repair work worth €500 million had been underway to restore the New Safe Confinement (NSC), the facility has continued to suffer significant disruption due to the conflict.
“Missiles from the Russians still being fired across Chernobyl,” Shaun Burnie, a senior nuclear specialist for Greenpeace Ukraine, said.
“Here we are 40 years on and Russia is still conducting effectively a nuclear war against the people of Ukraine and Europe”, he added.