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Wildfire in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone continues to rage — Ukraine’s media resource

The fire has reportedly engulfed an area of five hectares, and the cause of the emergency is being looked into

MOSCOW, July 12. /TASS/. Firefighters have been unable to extinguish a wildfire in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone for the third day running, Ukraine’s Vesti news media resource said on Wednesday citing a source inside the National Police of Ukraine.

According to the resource, on July 9, emergency services were alerted by a report of a forest floor fire near the village of Ilovnitsa in the Kiev region in the territory of the Detyatkovsky woodlands. The fire has engulfed an area of five hectares. The cause of the fire is being looked into.

The 1986 Chernobyl disaster was the largest catastrophe in the history of the nuclear power industry, resulting in the radioactive contamination of more than 200,000 square kilometers of the former Soviet Union territory. A 30-kilometer exclusion zone was created around the plant, decontamination work was carried out at the NPP, and all units were decommissioned. Immediately after the accident, a protective sarcophagus was built to encase Unit 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

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