KYIV: A large forest fire burned through the Chernobyl exclusion zone on Friday following a drone crash near the disaster-tainted nuclear plant the previous day, Ukrainian authorities said. Radiation levels at the site were within &quot;normal limits&quot;, authorities reported, adding that firefighters were working to contain the blaze. Images showed columns of white smoke billowing from the area, parts of which are closed off to the public due to high levels of radioactivity. The site surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear plant has been largely deserted since the plant suffered a catastrophic meltdown in 1986. It has since been converted into a nature reserve. &quot;As of 3:00 pm [1200 GMT] the estimated area of the fire, which broke out after two drones crashed within the Chernobyl nature reserve, is about 1,180 hectares,&quot; the reserve&#39;s director Denis Nesterov said in a post on Facebook. He did not say the origin of the drones. The governor of the neighboring Chernigiv region gave a higher estimate, suggesting the fire had spread across an area spanning 40 square kilometers. &quot;The aggressor is preventing the fire from being extinguished. Their drones are constantly hovering over the area,&quot; Chernigiv governor Vyacheslav Chaus added. Kyiv has repeatedly accused Moscow of recklessly attacking its nuclear sites, including the Chernobyl complex. A Russian drone last year punctured a hole in one of the radiation shells covering the reactor unit that exploded on April 26, 1986. Rescuers were working to prevent the further spread of the fire, Ukraine&#39;s state emergency service said. &quot;Due to strong gusts of wind, the fire is rapidly spreading across the territory, covering new sections of the forest,&quot; it said. &quot;The situation is complicated by dry weather, strong winds and mine danger in certain areas of the territory, which significantly limits the possibility of extinguishing work.&quot; The exclusion zone suffered wildfires in 2020, which lasted several weeks and caused a spike in background radiation. Ukraine only last month marked 40 years since the disaster.

This handout photograph, taken and released by the Ukrainian Chernobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve on May 8, 2026, shows smoke billowing over buildings in the town of Chernobyl from a forest fire in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. (AFP)

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Fire burns through Ukraine’s Chernobyl exclusion zone after a drone crash, officials say, with radiation levels normal as firefighters battle the blaze in the restricted area.

Forest fire burns near Chernobyl nuclear plant after drone crash

KYIV: Russian shelling has cut power to the site of the Chernobyl nuclear plant, part of which was destroyed in a 1986 nuclear meltdown, Ukraine&#39;s energy ministry said on Wednesday. Ukraine said the confinement structure housing a damaged reactor lost power in the incident, and that specialists were currently working to restore electricity. Ukraine did not elaborate on the consequences of the blackout, and Russia did not immediately comment. Emergency situation&nbsp;&quot;Due to Russian shelling of energy infrastructure in the Kyiv region, an emergency situation arose at the facilities of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant,&quot; Ukraine&#39;s energy ministry said in a statement on Telegram. &quot;As a result of power surges, the New Safe Confinement, a key facility that isolates the destroyed fourth power unit of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and prevents the release of radioactive materials into the environment, was left without power,&quot; it added. The New Safe Confinement, completed in 2016, is a large shield-like structure that surrounds the unit four reactor and prevents the release of radioactive material. A Russian drone attack damaged the confinement structure in February but did not result in increased radiation in the surrounding area, Ukrainian authorities said.

Russian shelling cut power to the Chernobyl nuclear plant, affecting the New Safe Confinement structure that isolates the damaged reactor. Ukraine is working to restore electricity; Russia has not commented.

Articles tagged with "Chernobyl nuclear plant"

Forest fire burns near Chernobyl nuclear plant after drone crash

Russia cuts power to site of Chernobyl nuclear plant: Ukraine