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.
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