The announcement of the Romanian authorities regarding the huge forest fire in the Chernobyl radioactive zone. In which direction is the smoke cloud moving?
The Ministry of the Environment announces that subordinate institutions are monitoring the evolution of the smoke cloud following the fire that broke out in the “exclusion zone” at Chernobyl, in Ukraine, and so far no exceedances of the warning limits regarding environmental radioactivity have been recorded in Romania. At the same time, according to meteorologists' estimates, the wind will favor the movement of the smoke cloud to the north and east, without impact on Romania.
In a communication broadcast on Friday evening, in the context of the information regarding the fire that broke out in the Chernobyl zone in Ukraine and the evolution of the smoke cloud, the Ministry of the Environment states that the institutions under its authority are constantly monitoring the situation, together with the competent authorities.
“According to the estimates made by the National Meteorological Administration, the dominant direction of the wind will favor the movement of the smoke cloud towards Belarus, later towards the north and north-east of Ukraine and the south-west of Russia, without impact on the territory of Romania”, says the Ministry of the Environment.
In parallel, the National Agency for the Environment and Protected Areas (ANMAP), through the National Environmental Radioactivity Surveillance Network (RNSRM), permanently monitors the radioactivity of environmental factors at the national level, through automatic stations and specialized laboratories that operate continuously.
“Until this moment, there have been no violations of the warning or warning limits regarding environmental radioactivity in Romania. The measured values fall within the normal limits and the multi-annual trends specific to this period,” stated the Ministry of the Environment.
Huge fire at Chernobyl
A large-scale forest fire broke out in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, located in the north of the Kiev region, and the fire has so far covered more than 1100 hectares. Firefighting operations are underway, but the flames are spreading quickly due to strong winds, Ukrainian authorities said.
The Ukrainian authorities stated that the fire broke out on Thursday, “following the crash of a drone”, near the decommissioned nuclear power plant, without giving details about its origin. Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of reckless attacks near nuclear targets.
“In the exclusion zone, the extinguishing of a large-scale forest fire continues. Due to strong gusts of wind, the fire is spreading rapidly on the territory, including new forest sectors. The area affected by the fire already exceeds 1100 ha”, the National Emergency Service of Ukraine reported.
Firefighters are hampered by several factors, including the difficult terrain and the danger posed by land mines.
An image released by the state emergency service showed a large plume of white smoke rising into the sky above the affected forest in an area restricted to the public due to high levels of radioactivity.
The site around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant has been largely deserted since 1986, when reactor no. 4 of the nuclear power plant exploded during a low-power safety test.
The radioactive cloud spread over large parts of Europe, and more than 6 million people were exposed to radiation. In the first months after the nuclear disaster, 31 people – workers and firefighters – died.
The towns of Pripeat and Chernobyl, along with numerous surrounding villages, were evacuated, forming the “Exclusion Zone”.
The exclusion zone was affected by wildfires in 2020, which lasted for several weeks and caused a sudden increase in background radiation.
