A large forest fire engulfed the exclusion zone around Chernobyl on Friday after a drone crashed near the nuclear power plant a day earlier, Ukrainian authorities said.
Radiation levels in the area are within “normal limits,” officials said, adding that fire crews are working to contain the blaze.
Photos from the field show thick clouds of white smoke rising from the area, which is largely closed to the public due to high levels of radioactivity.
The area around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant has been largely abandoned since the reactor’s catastrophic meltdown in 1986. It was later turned into a nature reserve.
– According to estimates at 3:00 p.m., the fire that broke out after the fall of two drones inside the Chernobyl nature reserve covered about 1,180 hectares – said the director of the reserve, Denis Nesterov, in a post on Facebook.
He did not specify the origin of the drones.
Se registra un gran incendio en la zone de exclusion de Chernóbil, en Ukraina
Más de 1100 hectares de bosque fueron consumidas por el fuego. pic.twitter.com/OYTscOLBAH
— HispanTV (@Nexo_Latino) May 8, 2026
The governor of the neighboring Chernihiv region gave a higher estimate, stating that the fire had spread to about 40 square kilometers.
Ukrainian authorities did not say where the drone that caused the fire came from.
– The aggressor interferes with extinguishing the fire. Their drones constantly fly over the area – said Chernihiv Governor Vyacheslav Chaus.
Kiev has repeatedly accused Moscow of irresponsible attacks on nuclear facilities, including the Chernobyl complex.
Last year, a Russian drone breached the containment over the reactor that exploded on April 26, 1986.
Ukraine’s state emergency service announced that rescuers are working to prevent the fire from spreading further.
– Due to strong gusts of wind, the fire spreads quickly and covers new parts of the forest – it is stated in the statement.
It is added that the situation is further aggravated by dry weather, strong wind and the danger of mines in certain parts of the area, which significantly limits the possibilities of firefighting.
The exclusion zone around Chernobyl was also affected by large fires in 2020, when the fiery elements lasted for weeks and caused an increase in background radiation levels.
Ukraine marked the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster last month.
(Vijesti.ba)
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