Ukraine battles forest fires near Chernobyl

[TomSea]

Ukraine battles forest fires near Chernobyl

MINSK, Belarus (AP) — Ukrainian firefighters labored into Sunday night trying to put out two forest blazes in the area around the Chernobyl nuclear power station, which was evacuated because of radioactive contamination after the 1986 explosion at the plant.

Ukraine's emergencies service said one of the fires, covering about five hectares (12 acres), had been localized. It said the other fire was about 20 hectares (50 acres). Earlier Sunday, the head of the state ecological inspection service, Yehor Firsov, said the fires had spread to about 100 hectares (250 acres). The discrepancy in sizes could not immediately be resolved.

Read more at:  https://www.sfgate.com/news/medical/article/Forest-fire-near-Chernobyl-boosts-radiation-level-15180029.php

[Neverdul]

20 hectares - Not great. Not terrible.

[TomSea]

'Bad news': radiation spikes 16 times above normal after forest fire near Chernobyl
The blaze started on Saturday close to the site of the world’s worst ever nuclear disaster, Ukrainian officials say

Ukraine has reported a spike in radiation levels in the restricted zone around Chernobyl, scene of the world’s worst nuclear accident, caused by a forest fire.

“There is bad news – radiation is above normal in the fire’s centre,” Yegor Firsov, head of Ukraine’s state ecological inspection service, said on Facebook on Sunday.

The post included a video with a Geiger counter showing radiation at 16 times above normal.

Read more at:  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/06/bad-news-radiation-spikes-16-times-above-normal-after-forest-fire-near-chernobyl

[Smokin Joe]

This is the concern:

Plants take up nutrients in the soil, including unstable isotopes, and concentrate those in their structure. Burn the plants, and those isotopes become part of the smoke and ashes, further concentrated, and carried on the wind.

Lest we forget, the original plumes from Chernobyl were the result of fires burning the graphite moderating material in the reactor unit core, carrying isotopes vaporized by the fire.

[catfish1957]

This is the concern:

Plants take up nutrients in the soil, including unstable isotopes, and concentrate those in their structure. Burn the plants, and those isotopes become part of the smoke and ashes, further concentrated, and carried on the wind.

Lest we forget, the original plumes from Chernobyl were the result of fires burning the graphite moderating material in the reactor unit core, carrying isotopes vaporized by the fire.

Sad irony of another case of what wrath comes from a despicable communist regime, and what happens when they cover their tracks in disregard of human life and suffering.