A series of fires that broke out in the Chornobyl forest preserve on June 29 are now under control, the Ukrainian State Emergency Situations Service said on June 30.
“The fires are being fought round the clock, but this is complicated by the fact that the swampy terrain makes it impossible for special vehicles to get close enough to the fire seats. As of 4:30 p.m., 30 fire seats were being dealt with. At the present time, the situation remains under control, and the fire has been kept from spreading to the forest areas within the exclusion zone,” State Emergency Situations Service first deputy chief Oleh Melchutsky said at a news briefing in Kyiv on June 30.
The radiation level at the place is currently 25 microroentgen/hour, while the normal level is 50 microroentgen/hour.
Fire has been taken under control at four spots, and two other fire seats should be taken under control in the near future, he said.
The fire seat closest to the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant is located 30 kilometers from it, Melchutsky said. “There is no danger that the fire could reach the nuclear plant, because the distance is significant,” he said.
This fire is less dangerous than the one that struck the Chornobyl preserve in April, he said.
Judging by the way the fire has been spreading, its most likely cause is intentional arson or careless handling of fire, Melchutsky said.
It was reported earlier that dry grass and club rush caught fire near the communities of Kovshylivka and Poliske within the Chernobyl exclusion zone on the evening of June 29. The fire gradually spread onto a territory of about 130 hectares.
