00:01Ukrainian authorities say a large forest fire was sparked in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone on Friday after a drone crash
00:07near the defunct nuclear plant a day prior.
00:11Radiation levels at the site were within normal limits, authorities said, adding that firefighters were working to contain the blaze.
00:18Videos published by Ukraine State Emergency Service showed large plumes of smoke billowing into the sky from the area,
00:25parts of which are closed off to the public due to high levels of radioactivity.
00:30The Chernobyl Nature Reserve, which manages the site, says the fire engulfed an area of approximately 1,100 hectares.
00:38Authorities did not detail whether the drone in question was Russian or a misfired Ukrainian one.
00:44Kiev has routinely, however, accused Moscow of recklessly targeting its nuclear sites in the past, including in Chernobyl.
00:51The site surrounding Chernobyl has been largely deserted since 1986 after the plant suffered a catastrophic meltdown,
00:58often described as the worst accident in the nuclear power industry.
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