KIEV, April 7. /TASS/. The wildfire area near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant has more than tripled to 35 hectares, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported Tuesday.

Earlier in the morning, the service disclosed that the wildfire area was only 10.5 hectares.

Two Mi-8 helicopters and one An-32P plane have been involved in extinguishing the blaze. Seventy-two tonnes of water have already been dropped on the fire. Additional Emergency Service troops from Ukraine’s Zhitomir Region were sent to the site, the service says.

According to the agency, the radiation background in Kiev and the Kiev Region "is within the norm and does not exceed natural background levels."

Radiation level in Kiev is 0.013 microroentgen/hour, while in the Kiev Region it is 0.011 microroentgen/hour, the service notes, adding that the acceptable level is 0.05 microroentgen/hour.

Earlier, the Kiev Region police reported that it had apprehended the culprit behind the blaze: a 27-year old man who burned trash and dry grass.