Intense fires continued to rage in western Russia on August 4, 2010. Burning in dry peat bogs and forests, the fires produced a dense plume of smoke that reached across hundreds of kilometers. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) captured this view of the fires and smoke in three consecutive overpasses on NASA’s Terra satellite. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC.

Moscow, Aug 7, (RHC).- The Russian Emergencies Minister is warning of possible radiation risks, as wildfires approach closer to the area affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. According to reports from Russia, the main fear is that the fires, which are moving further south of Moscow, could disturb and spread the contamination buried in the ground after the Chernobyl nuclear accident. The Russian minister said that several laboratories are closely monitoring the situation in the region. He warned that if fires erupt in that area, “there is a risk that radionuclide can be released into the air with other combustible gases, and more areas could become contaminated.” Firefighters have been dispatched to the region to avert possible outbreaks. They have been battling hundreds of blazes across Central Russia, which have claimed at least 50 lives. Meanwhile, the smog created by the wildfires is the thickest so far. It has already disrupted air travel, with Moscow’s Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports diverting 40 incoming flights to the airports located either north of the city, or to St. Petersburg or Kazan.

Wildfires in Russia Could Spread to Region Near Chernobyl Disaster