Forest Fire Breaks Out in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone After Drone Crash

A drone struck the Chernobyl exclusion zone on Thursday, causing a forest fire that has spread across 12 square kilometres of land located to the south-east of the Ukrainian town of Chernobyl and the nuclear plant’s former cooling ponds. As of Friday afternoon, 331 people and 75 pieces of equipment were involved in the emergency response, according to the Chornobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve.

4 square kilometres.

Denys Vyshnevskiy at the reserve described the scale of the effort. “It’s really big. Guys who are working on the fire line are breathing air with high concentration of radionuclides,” he said. ” Vyshnevskiy added that radiation levels are normal 5 to 10 kilometres from the fire.

“There is little risk of contamination outside the exclusion zone,” he stated. Olena Burdo at the Institute for Nuclear Research in Kyiv was near the site when the fire started but saw only smoke because the affected area was closed to scientists by the military.

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine said tackling the fire is complicated by dry weather, strong winds and the presence of land mines. “The fire is rapidly spreading across the territory,” it wrote in a Telegram post. Some areas are too dangerous for firefighters to access because of land mines, so are being left temporarily while efforts are concentrated elsewhere, the emergency service added.

Vyshnevskiy said rain expected this evening will aid firefighters. The Chernobyl exclusion zone is frequently overflown by Russian drones en route to Kyiv and other targets within Ukraine. Last year, a Russian drone struck the New Safe Confinement shelter, blasting a hole all the way through its multi-layer construction.

The Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded in 1986. A large forest fire is spreading through the Chernobyl exclusion zone after a drone struck the area yesterday, @NewScientist reported. @NewScientist reported that though the fire is serious, those on the ground say the risk of radioactive contamination outside the area is minimal.

The Chornobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve wrote in a Telegram post that the fire was due to a drone crash but didn’t give details on the type or origin of the device.