Forest fires spread to 100 hectares around Chernobyl nuclear plant; Ukraine sounds warning

More than 10,000 hectares of forest are ablaze in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, posing a dangerous risk of nuclear wildfires, an Ukrainian official warned on Sunday, according to the Interfax agency.

Lyudmila Denisova, commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for human rights, said that at least 31 areas near the Chernobyl power plant are on fire, which has resulted in an increased level of radioactive air pollution that could reach the neighbouring European countries.

"Thirty-one fires have been recorded in the exclusion zone near the Chernobyl NPP, which results in an increased level of radioactive air pollution," Denisova said on social media on Sunday. 

'Extinguish fire as soon as possible': Ukraine to IAEA

Denisova called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to dispatch the equipment to Ukraine in order to extinguish the fire as soon as possible, and to "prevent irreparable consequences not only for Ukraine but also for the whole world.”

"Burning releases radionuclides into the atmosphere, which are carried by the wind over considerable distances. This is fraught with radiation for Ukraine, Belarus, and European countries," said the commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

She warned of a looming disaster near the nuclear site, cautioning the windy and dry weather, that risks flaring the blazes. This might cause very large-scale fires, she said, adding that it may be extremely hard to contain it. 

A view of a forest fire burning near the village of Volodymyrivka in the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Credit: AP

Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate with reference to the Radiation Accidents Consequences Prediction Center of the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center of the State Emergencies Service has also warned that the radiation from the Chernobyl could deteriorate the situation in the Exclusion Zone and can spread the fire all over.

The intense fires started in the last two weeks, and have now spread to about 8,700 hectares in more than 30 areas, according to acting Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Ruslan Strilets.

Russian troops had ‘disconnected’ Chernobyl power plant's power grid

As the Russian forces launched a brutal invasion of Ukraine on February 24, they took control of the Chernobyl power plant and ‘disconnected’ its power grid from the world. Invading troops attacked the defunct nuclear facility on the very first day of launching the fierce military operation.

State-owned grid operator Ukrenergo frantically cautioned about the looming safety jeopardy stemming from the nuclear plant’s hijack. The power shut off implies a dangerous situation as it has halted the cooling of nuclear material stored at the plant.

The facility located in the Chernobyl exclusion zone has been cut off from the electricity supply. They also destroyed a new laboratory at the Chernobyl site, that among other things, works to improve the management of radioactive waste. The exclusion zone is the contaminated area around the plant, the site of the world's worst nuclear meltdown in 1986.

The laboratory was built at an estimated 6 million euros with support from the European Commission and was first operational in 2015. As the safety threats loomed, the nuclear power plant was reconnected to the national electricity grid and Ukrainian expert teams were able to repair one of the damaged power lines connecting the plant to the power network.

At least seven fires broke out later within Chernobyl’s exclusion zone that could be seen via the satellite imagery taken by the European Space Agency. The first fire started amid the “armed aggression of the Russian Federation”, Ukraine's parliament said, warning in a statement that fire within the 10km radius of the plant are “particularly dangerous.'