As if the year 2020 could not have gotten any worse, the Chernobyl forest fires have erupted in Ukraine. The fires are burning for over a week now in the dry areas of the nuclear city. What is so much worse about this news is that these fires are heading towards the infamous nuclear reactor of the abandoned city. The Ukrainian officials reported high radiation spikes in the area where the first fire erupted. There is now a growing concern that if the fires get too close to the nuclear complex, it will give rise to radiation contamination.
Chernobyl Forest Fires Continue To Ravage
We all remember the famous HBO miniseries Chernobyl. The Ukrainian nuclear reactor exploded back in 1986, but it is in danger once again it seems. The Chernobyl fires have already engulfed 8,600 acres of land since its beginning on Saturday, April, 11. 400 firefighters, 100 fire engines and several helicopters are continuously battling it out at the radiated city. According to one report, the radiation level has spiked as much as 16 times in some places because of the fires. While this level is lower as compared to the initial explosion, it still poses risk to the country’s residents.
The forest fires in Chernobyl are growing across the surrounding areas of the exclusion zone, and now police are evacuating the village of Poliske, which is situated inside the zone. Although no one is allowed to live inside the exclusion zone, this group of some 20 people was adamant to stay and still go on to live their lives inside the radiated lands.
According to the weather forecast, winds carrying radioactive smoke are likely to head towards the Chernihiv region and the border of Belarus. It can also make its way towards the capital city of Ukraine, which is only 60 miles away. This is increasingly becoming something like in the past, as per what the HBO series showed.
The Chernobyl forest fire isn’t something that happens now and then, it was an act of arson, according to the local police. The authorities also claim that they have detained the man responsible.
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