Russian wildfires may reawaken Chernobyl cloud

Russia has put on extra fire safety patrols in a region badly hit by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster following warnings that wildfires could release radioactive particles and create a nuclear smog.

Russian Greenpeace says that at least three wildfires are known to have hit the forests of the Bryansk region, which were left highly contaminated by the meltdown at the Ukrainian nuclear power station 24 years ago. An Emergency Situations Ministry spokeswoman said six new wildfires in Bryansk had been promptly extinguished this week.

The Russian Emergencies Minister, Sergei Shoigu, warned last week of the danger of fires in the irradiated zone: "If the fires spread over this area they may re-release nuclear contamination from the Chernobyl disaster into the air and a new contaminated area will appear."

It is thought radioactive particles in the soil and plants could be blown into the air by a combination of raging fires and the wind. Any contamination would be far less serious than the radioactive clouds that poisoned parts of northern Europe and the Soviet Union back in 1986, but Greenpeace warned that it could still pose a risk to human health.

"I wouldn't underestimate the exposure risk, as we know little about the health effects of CO [carbon monoxide] and low-dose radiation combination," said Vladimir Chouprov, Energy Campaigner for Greenpeace Russia.

Moscow has been enjoying clear skies today following a week of thick smog caused by the wildfires that has doubled death rates in the city. But there is no end in sight to the drought that has led to the fires and a change in the wind direction could easily bring smoke clouds back to the capital.

Meanwhile Russia's prime minister Vladimir Putin has taken matters into his own hands, flying a fire-fighting plane yesterday (above) to water-bomb a wildfire in the Rayzan region - in stark contrast to Moscow's mayor, who refused to return from his summer holiday to help tackle the city's smog emergency. ·