Six wildfires in Chernobyl exclusion zone
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By Staff Writers, Sputnik
Sputnik
Tuesday, Jun 30, 2015
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| © Sputnik/ Alexei Furman |
Ukrainian emergency services spotted six wildfires in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, the Ukrainian governmental emergency service said in a statement Tuesday.
According to the service, the wildfires began Monday night when dry grass caught fire. The fire is being controlled and does not threaten the forest or the Chernobyl facilities.
Radiation levels are reported as normal for the area.
"The fire is currently being extinguished. The emergency service helicopter has carried out aerial exploration to check the situation and to attract the firefighter aviation. According to the exploration, there were six fire spots found," the statement said.
This is a second fire in the region in recent months. More than 300 people were involved in extinguishing a fire in April in the Chernobyl exclusion zone.
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred in late April 1986 in the then-Ukrainian Soviet Republic. The catastrophe heavily contaminated neighboring areas, which now form an exclusion zone. Fallout from the disaster also affected areas in Belarus, Russia and the Baltic region.
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