The area of ​​the fire near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant tripled in 24 hours – video

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                    Photo. State Emergency Service of Ukraine

Forest fire in the Chernobyl exclusion zone

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“At 2:15 pm local time, a gale caused the fire to spread […] on 35 hectares, “said the service.

Fire-fighting aircraft have already dropped 72 tonnes of water on the flames. Two Mi-8 helicopters have been dispatched to the scene and 10 special vehicles are to arrive from the Zhytomyr region.

Increase in radioactivity?

The level of radioactivity in Kiev and its region currently does not exceed accepted standards, notes the service.

On April 5, Egor Firsov, acting head of the Ukrainian ecological inspection service, reported increased radioactivity in the exclusion zone, according to the France-Presse agency. According to him, the level of radioactivity was 16 times higher than normal.

The emergency department had previously stated that the area of ​​the fire was 11 hectares and that the level of radioactivity did not exceed normal.

Fire starts

The fire broke out in the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl power plant on Saturday 4 April on an area of ​​20 hectares.

On Sunday, April 5, the emergency services reported a new five-hectare outbreak.

Ukrainian law enforcement officials identified a person suspected of being involved in the fire’s departure. A criminal case has been opened.

Rescuers put out a fire on Monday, April 6.

Chernobyl nuclear accident

The reactor number 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded on April 26, 1986. According to some estimates, up to three-quarters of Europe has been infected. Authorities have evacuated hundreds of thousands of people after the accident and a large area of ​​more than 2,000 square kilometers has been abandoned.

Three other reactors continued to operate after the tragedy. The latter was arrested in 2000, marking the end of all industrial activity in Chernobyl.

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