Wildfires are just over a mile from the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant and a disposal site for radioactive waste. Over 300 firefighters are working to contain the blaze. A toxic cloud rises within sight of the carcass of Chernobyl’s Unit 4 nuclear reactor, the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history. Greenpeace said that the fires were larger than Ukraine’s official estimates and could pose a health risk, saying, ‘A fire approaching a nuclear or hazardous radiation facility is always a risk’. Flames could reach abandoned vehicles at the former plant, causing mighty explosions and spreading toxic fumes and unleashing radiation into the ground near the reactors. The fumes could sweep across vast swathes of Poland, Belarus, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova. All are vulnerable: see
Ukraine: wildfires dangerously close to Chernobyl
Written by David Fletcher 16 Apr 2020Additional Info
- Pray: for radiation (currently 16 times above normal) to be contained, and the fires doused. (Psalm 10:12)
- More: www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/13/ukraine-wildfires-close-chernobyl-nuclear-site
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