firefighters in Chernobyl
Kiev (dpa) — Hundreds of firefighters are continuing to battle a wildfire in the exclusion zone around the former Chernobyl nuclear power station, with the situation under control, Ukrainian authorities said on Saturday.
The fire, which Ukrainian authorities believe was caused on Thursday by two Russian drones, has now burnt more than 1,200 hectares, the authorities said. They said 374 firefighters were battling the blaze.
“The situation is completely under control,” the civil protection authority said. The Ukrinform news agency reported that the fire was not causing any radiation hazard.
The exclusion zone was established after the Chernobyl disaster in northern Ukraine, when a reactor test on April 26, 1986, spiralled out of control, triggering the worst nuclear accident in history.
Radioactive clouds spread across large parts of Europe, reaching as far as the north and west of the continent.
Russia has been waging a full-scale war against Ukraine for more than four years, with repeated attacks affecting critical infrastructure.
©2026 dpa GmbH. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
