As of Thursday morning, the forest fire in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone had spread to 550 hectares, but it has been contained, and efforts to extinguish it continue. Radiation levels remain within normal limits, according to the press service of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources.

"As of the morning of September 5, 2024, the fire in the Lubianske forestry of the Exclusion Zone has grown to 550 hectares due to worsening weather conditions. The fire has been localized, but firefighting efforts are ongoing," the ministry reported on Thursday.

According to the report, personnel and resources from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, additional Emergency Service units from Kyiv region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and workers from enterprises within the Exclusion Zone, including the Central Enterprise for Radioactive Waste Management, Northern Puscha State-owned Enterprise, Chornobyl Radioecological Biosphere Reserve, Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, and the Ecocenter State-owned Specialized Enterprise, have been mobilized to combat the fire. A total of 204 personnel and 50 pieces of equipment are involved.

"Given the radiation risk in the area, monitoring of the radiation situation has been intensified. The automated radiation monitoring system continuously tracks the situation at 39 points, transmitting data to the control center every hour, and in emergency situations, every minute. A rapid response radiation reconnaissance team from the Ecocenter has been dispatched to the fire site to conduct radiation-ecological monitoring and dosimetric control along the fire line," the ministry added.

All personnel involved in firefighting have been provided with personal respiratory protection.

"The situation is under control, with no threat to critical infrastructure, such as the Central Spent Fuel Storage Facility, Vector Industrial Complex, or the Buriakivka radioactive wastes landfill. Radiation levels are normal," the Ministry concluded.