MELITOPOL, September 16. /TASS/. The Ukrainian armed forces conducted artillery strikes on the fuel storage facilities at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), with dry grass igniting 400 meters from the diesel fuel tanks, the plant’s management reported.
"The Ukrainian armed forces are carrying out artillery shelling in the area of the ZNPP fuel storage facilities. As a result of the shelling, dry grass caught fire in the adjacent territory. The distance from the source of the fire to the diesel fuel tanks is approximately 400 meters. There is currently no threat to the main infrastructure facilities," the statement posted on the plant’s Telegram channel said.
According to it, the radiation background at the plant and the surrounding area is within normal limits. The situation is under control, and work is underway to extinguish the blaze, the ZNPP emphasized. There are no casualties among the plant's personnel.
"It should be noted that the plant's auxiliary facilities, including the fuel storage facilities, are structurally less protected than the reactor buildings. Such attacks go beyond all conceivable design safety bases. A fire in the fuel storage facilities, where fuel necessary for the plant's operation is stored, could lead to catastrophic consequences," the statement pointed out.
According to the plant, the fire has now been contained, and the situation is being monitored by staff and emergency services.