You're reading: Ukrainian emergency service head says arson behind major fire in Chornobyl forest

Arson was the cause of a large-scale forest fire in the Chornobyl exclusion zone, head of the Ukrainian State Emergency Service Mykola Chechotkin said.

“Arson was the cause of 70 percent of fires breaking out in the exclusion zone [there were 56 fires there from the beginning of the year]. When fighting the latest large-scale fire we found two torches. This points to a theory that deliberate arsons triggered the fire,” Chechotkin said live on Channel Five TV.

The fire in the Chornobyl exclusion zone was not a challenge for rescuers as they extinguished similar fires many times, he said.

Chechotkin also said that Hr 200 million (around $9 million) had been allocated to purchase firefighting and rescue machinery that was too little for a sweeping renovation of the motor fleet of the Ukrainian State Emergency Service.

“This is very little – Hr 200 million. We should buy around 40-42 vehicles. We have more than 4,000 pieces of machinery, certainly 42 vehicles are quite few. But all the same I believe that this is a step forward for us to begin the process of reequipping fire and rescue brigades,” the Ukrainian emergency chief said.

The latest serious fire in the Chornobyl exclusion zone has taken place in late June. Rescuers have been fighting the fire and smoldering peat for more than two weeks.