KIEV, June 7 (Xinhua) -- The forest fire near the destroyed Chernobyl nuclear power plant has been extinguished on Thursday, Ukrainian authorities said.
The State Service for Emergencies said in a statement that 25 units of equipment and 138 fire-fighters battled with the fire, which started on Tuesday, engulfing 12 hectares.
The radiation levels in Kiev and in Chernobyl are within normal limits, the agency said.
Chernobyl nuclear power plant is the site of one of the worst nuclear disasters in human history.
On April 26, 1986, a series of explosions occurred at the plant located 110 km north of the Ukrainian capital, resulting in the demolition of the No. 4 reactor and the spread of radiation across Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and some European countries.
In Ukraine alone, the contaminated area reached more than 50,000 square km.
The wood fires near the Chernobyl plant surrounded by dense forest are not rare, happening almost every year during hot weather.
