A fire has broken out at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant after heavy fighting. The IAEA says no increased radioactivity has been reported.
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Video images from the nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine have shown powerful artillery fire Thursday night and Friday night at the facility, which is Europe’s largest nuclear power plant and is located in the city of Enerhodar.
Local and national authorities reported around 02 local time that a fire had broken out. The fire must have occurred outside the reactor itself, at a practice building.
At 04:20 local time, the emergency services have that they have gained access to the nuclear power plant, reports AFP. Earlier, there were accusations that Russian forces fired on the fire brigade.
At 05.20, the authorities report via Facebook that the fire has been extinguished.
FIRE: To the right of the picture is a strong fire and smoke development from the nuclear power plant.
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No change in radioactive radiation
Radiation protection safety has been taken care of, the authorities state.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, also says that there are no changes in the level of radioactive radiation.
They are monitoring the situation and are in contact with the authorities. They are informed that the fire has not affected essential production equipment and that personnel who carry out the necessary measures to limit the damage.
The mayor of Enerhodar, Dmytro Orlov was one of the first to report the fire.
– A threat to world security, he wrote on his Telegram channel Friday night.
The power plant and the city are located in the south of Ukraine by the river Dnipro, about 220 km northeast of Kherson, which Russia occupied on Wednesday. It accounts for 19 percent of Ukraine’s electricity production.
