Chernobyl wildfire engulfs five square miles in exclusion zone

Chernobyl wildfire spreads across exclusion zone

A blaze covering ↓ 5 sq mi erupted Friday inside the Chernobyl exclusion zone, ignited after two unmanned aerial vehicles collided with vegetation.

Firefighters from Ukraine’s State Emergency Service arrived within hours, battling the inferno under volatile weather conditions.

“The situation is evolving rapidly; we are deploying all available resources,” said regional commander Oleksandr Koval.

Authorities warned that smoke could drift toward nearby settlements, complicating evacuation plans. Radiation monitoring teams remain on standby to assess any impact on the nuclear safety of the site.

International observers, including Reuters, are tracking the incident, noting that the fire poses a rare environmental threat to the once‑contaminated area.

Intel provided by Julian Vance (Senior Global Security Correspondent).