KIEV, July 4 (Sputnik) – Wildfires in Chernobyl began Monday night when dry grass caught fire. The fire quickly spread onto the territory of 130 hectares. Currently, 113 firefighters and 20 units of equipment are taking part in extinguishing it.
“As of 07:00 a.m. [GMT 04:00] July 4 … we are continuing to extinguish the remaining localized spots of smoldering peat next to the villages of Kovshilovka, Glinka, Staraya Krasnitsa and Lubyanka,” the statement said.
Earlier this week the Ukrainian governmental emergency service said that radiation levels at the fire area stayed normal.
This is a second fire in the region since the beginning of the year. In April, a fire in the Chernobyl had spread over an area of some 320 hectares. It took 300 firefighters and 51 units of equipment, including planes and helicopters, to put it out.
