Global General

Russian wildfires raise radiation fears

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-08-11 16:31
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MOSCOW - Activists are warning that the mroe than 600 wildfires still burning in Russia could move into the areas affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and spread harmful radiation.

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Environmental group Greenpeace says the wildfires, sparked by the hottest summer ever registered in Russia, could engulf the regions still affected by radioactive fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl accident.

The Emergency Situations Ministry's branch in the western Bryansk region that suffered worst from the Chernobyl catastrophe in what is now Ukraine said Wednesday it spotted several wildfires in the area over the past few days and quickly put them out. It said it increased patrols to prevent more blazes.

Emergency oficials say that about 165,000 people and 39 firefighting aircraft are battling blazes nationwide.