Fire near Chernobyl, Ukrainian government claims everything is 'under control'

(Patria) – Ukrainian authorities are trying to downplay the significance of forest fires raging for several days in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant area, stating they are 'contained and under full control'.

Reports from the ground in the last 24 hours indicate that fires are spreading near the nuclear power plant, while activists warn that the fire is dangerously close to nuclear waste storage facilities.

However, local authorities announced on Tuesday that the danger had been neutralized by the efforts of firefighters, as well as by rainfall in most of the area.

- There is no open fire. Only smoke is now seen coming from the forest area, the Minister of Internal Affairs announced on the ministry's website, describing the situation found at 7 AM.

Volodymyr Demchuk from the State Emergency Service claims that 'there is no threat to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, nor to the spent fuel storage'.

It was also confirmed that the radiation level in the capital city of Kyiv, 100 km from the plant, is now within normal limits.

Slightly earlier, the fire approached the abandoned city of Pripyat as well as the Chernobyl nuclear power plant itself, which was at the center of the world's worst nuclear accident in April 1986, when a radioactive cloud covered much of Europe.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has faced criticism for his passive stance on the danger, promised to engage emergency services.

Fires are common in early spring when local residents set fires on agricultural properties. However, local authorities claim to have located at least two individuals who intentionally set fires.

The Chernobyl zone is largely uninhabited, although about 200 people have remained in the area since the 1986 accident.