Drone crash ignites major fire in Chernobyl exclusion zone
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- The Chornobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve (CREBR) reported that roughly 12 square kilometres south-east of Chernobyl and the plant's former cooling ponds are burning after a drone crash, though the reserve did not disclose the type or origin of the device.
- Ukraine's State Emergency Service (SES) mobilized 331 personnel and 75 pieces of equipment as of Friday afternoon, while satellite images seen by New Scientist suggest the actual burn area has grown to 24.4 square kilometres.
- CREBR researcher Denys Vyshnevskiy said firefighters on the fire line are breathing air with high radionuclide concentrations and undergo post-shift body contamination checks — a hazard not present in ordinary wildfires.
- Radiation readings are normal 5 to 10 kilometres from the fire, and both Vyshnevskiy and Institute for Nuclear Research scientist Olena Burdo say the risk of radioactive contamination spreading outside the exclusion zone is minimal.
- The SES said land mines have made some areas too dangerous to enter, forcing crews to temporarily abandon those sections while concentrating efforts elsewhere, with rain expected Friday evening to assist firefighting.
- Last year, a Russian drone struck the New Safe Confinement shelter protecting the 1986 disaster's remains, punching a hole through its multi-layer construction but stopping short of the fragile reactor below.
Why it matters: Roughly 331 emergency responders are working directly inside a radioactive exclusion zone, absorbing airborne radionuclides on the fire line — a hazard unique to this site. The exclusion zone is routinely overflown by Russian drones en route to Kyiv, meaning each new strike threatens an already-weakened containment structure over the world's worst nuclear disaster.
