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The flames of fire this weekend were only a few kilometers from the Chernobyl reactor in block four, where a collapse occurred in the then Soviet Union on April 26, 1986. Using satellite imagery, the environmental organization Greenpeace estimated that the fires in the emergency zone created after the nuclear accident covered some 34,000 and 12,500 hectares, respectively.
This area is not just a historical heritage. Many animals, many endangered species that have settled in the area after the accident have been burned to death by the flames, says Maksim Polivko, who leads guided tours of the closed area, at TT.
He is not sure how the fires will affect his work in the area.
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Maksim Polivko works as a guide in the closed Chernobyl area. Stock Photography.
Ukraine is trying to include the Chernobyl area, including the abandoned city of Prypjat on the UNESCO World Heritage List. According to Ukrainian organizations operating in the area, the flames approached Prypjat on Monday.
“National disaster”
The Soviet desert city, with its well-known amusement park, which is slowly surrounded by nature, generates huge revenue in tourist revenue every year.
If Prypjat burns, it will be a true national disaster. And tourism there is a big part of our economy, says Polivko, who had wanted Ukraine to ask for outside help to fight the fire.
He also believes that information on forest fires has been inadequate in Ukraine. Only Monday, ten days after the outbreak, President Volodymyr Zelenskyj commented on it. The following day, authorities stated that flames were no longer seen in Chernobyl.
The community should discover the truth and be able to feel safe, Zelenskyj said Tuesday, adding, according to the AFP news agency, that he is awaiting a rescue service report.
Feeling insecure
According to Polivko, there is uncertainty among the population about how large natural areas have been burned and how much of the historical parts of the emergency zone could have been destroyed. It also says that many wonder if the fire is really under control.
At the same time, there is concern that the fire has spread over heavily contaminated areas and that radioactive ash may spread.
However, I have not measured any increase in radioactivity levels with my dosimeter here in Kiev anyway, he says.
A long-awaited rain sprayed over the fire-ravaged areas on Tuesday.
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