A video capture posted on Facebook by Yegor Pirsov, Acting Director of the Ukrainian National Environmental Inspection Agency. The radiation level at the center of the fire is measured at 2.3 μSv, which is much higher than the normal level of 0.14 microsieverts (μSv). [Image source=Facebook capture by Yegor Pirsov]
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] A forest fire broke out near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, where the worst nuclear power plant accident in history occurred 34 years ago. According to local environmental authorities on the 5th (local time), the radiation level at the center of the fire exceeded 16 times the normal level.
Yehor Pyrsov, acting director of the Ukrainian National Environmental Inspection Agency, posted on Facebook that "the radiation level at the center of the fire was measured at 2.3 microsieverts (μSv), which is much higher than the normal level of 0.14 μSv." This means the radiation level in the fire area was nearly 16.5 times higher than normal. However, he added that such a high level was only observed at the center of the fire.
Acting Director Pyrsov explained, "The fire spread over 20 hectares within the exclusion zone (a 30 km radius around the accident nuclear power plant)," and it appears that someone set fire to the grass, which then spread to the trees, causing the fire to grow.
The fire in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exclusion zone is reported to have started on the 4th. The Ukrainian Ministry of Emergency Situations stated that firefighting aircraft have been deployed to spray over 60 tons of water on the fire area to extinguish the fire. More than 140 firefighters and dozens of fire trucks have also been mobilized.
The Ukrainian government said that radiation levels in the capital Kyiv and the surrounding Kyiv region are normal and that there is no threat to residents living outside the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exclusion zone. The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is located about 90 km from Kyiv.
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident site photographed after the explosion in April 1986.
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, where the reactor explosion accident recorded as the worst nuclear accident in human history occurred in April 1986, has a 30 km radius area designated as an "exclusion zone," where public access is still restricted and special management is in place.
At Reactor No. 4, where the explosion occurred, cracks appeared in the concrete containment wall, raising concerns about collapse. Therefore, an additional steel containment wall capable of withstanding 100 years was installed, and it has been operational since last year.
However, forest fires frequently occur in the exclusion zone forest near the accident nuclear power plant, raising concerns that radioactive materials accumulated in the forest litter layer could spread.
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