28 April 2015 (13:40 UTC-07 Tango 01)/08 Ordibehesht 1394/09 Rajab 1436/10 Geng Chen (3rd month) 4713
“The fire is at a distance of 15 to 20 kilometers [9 to 12 miles] from Chernoby!“-Maya Rudenko, employee at the still deadly Chernobyl
Just weeks after a new study warns of a potential nuclear disaster, a forest fire is now spreading deadly radiation across north eastern Europe, before eventually turning to blow across Russia before crossing the Pacific. A forest fire has erupted inside the no go zone (exclusion zone) around the ongoing nuclear disaster known as Chernobyl.
Chernobyl is located in Ukrainian territory and has been highly radioactive ever since a catastrophic nuclear accident in 1986. The forest around the entombed nuclear reactor is so large it extends into Belarussian territory, and now consists of trees that grew up absorbing high doses of radiation, now they’re burning out of control!
At the beginning of April the Ecological Society of America published the results of their study, Fire evolution in the radioactive forests of Ukraine and Belarus: future risks for the population and the environment, which warns of just such a scenario: “…..Eastern Europe are characterized by large, highly fire-prone patches that are conducive to the development of extreme crown fires. Since 1986, there has been a positive correlation between extreme fire events and drought in the two contaminated regions. Litter carbon storage in the area has doubled since 1986 due to increased tree mortality and decreased decomposition rates; dead trees and accumulating litter in turn can provide fuel for wildfires that pose a high risk of redistributing radioactivity in future years. Intense fires in 2002, 2008, and 2010 resulted in the displacement of 137Cs [cesium 137] to the south; the cumulative amount of 137Cs re-deposited over Europe was equivalent to 8% of that deposited following the initial Chernobyl disaster. However, a large amount of 137Cs still remains in these forests, which could be remobilized along with a large number of other dangerous, long-lived, refractory radionuclides. We predict that an expanding flammable area associated with climate change will lead to a high risk of radioactive contamination with characteristic fire peaks in the future. Current fire-fighting infrastructure in the region is inadequate….”
This latest disaster involving Chernobyl should be proof enough to the nuclear nabobs in Japan who still think nuclear power is safe. The trees around Fukushima are contaminated for decades to come. But wait there’s more!
Despite the billions of USD spent building a new tomb around the Chernobyl reactor number 4 the Chornobyl Shelter Fund, Group of Seven and and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development today revealed that the new tomb is not complete, and is especially vulnerable to fire. Yep, a forest fire!
The project to encase Chernobyl #4 in new stronger concrete and steel was supposed to be completed this year, but administrators now say they need another $674-million to complete.
There are three other reactors at Chernobyl, all are supposed to be shutdown or undergoing shutdown. It was revealed three years after Reactor 4’s explosion that Reactor 1 also suffered meltdown, back in 1982!