Fires in Russia Threatens Nuclear Facilities

Moscow city residents can breathe easier.

Yesterday (12 / 8), the smoke haze caused by forest fires around the capital began to subside. However, forest fires near the city of Nizhny Novgorod Sarov increasingly worsen. Therefore, the government mobilized a large number of fire brigade personnel there.

In addition to firefighters, the government of President Dmitry Medvedev sent a special train designed to tame the fire. Hopefully, the special train was able to function optimally. Efforts to widespread fire suppression and prevention in Sarov is a priority of government because there were Russia's main nuclear research facility. In fact, since the Soviet era, not a foreign visitor should ever visit to Sarov.

"Despite ongoing efforts to burnout, I was able to announce the revocation status of emergency in three of the seven areas affected," said the leader of 44 years as reported by Agence France-Presse. Three areas are free from emergency status is Vladimir, Voronezh, and Marii El. Meanwhile, four other areas that are still in the emergency status is Mordovia, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, and Ryazan.

On that occasion, Mr Medvedev also expressed concern over terenggutnya more than 50 lives in the worst forest fires in Russian. Moreover, extreme hot temperatures in Moscow and its surroundings are also not showing signs of going down. "We are trapped in a very complicated situation now. Overall, a quarter of the agricultural area burned to the ground. In fact, the remaining land experiencing crop failure," he said during a visit to the city of Taganrog in southern Russia.

Besides threatening the food supply of citizens, the Russian forest fire that lit the alarm hazards in the area around the town of Chernobyl. Because, nuclear radiation in 1986 and then, a large amount of dangerous particles still remained in the area. Nature of dangerous particles that burn easily make people panic. They are afraid of fire and heat that enveloped Russia since late July sparked a new explosion or nuclear disaster in the city located on the border of Belarus.

But Medvedev has called on citizens to remain calm. Although the fire began to lick the forest on the border of Ukraine is only about 60 kilometers from Chernobyl, he was sure the fire department will be able to cope. Moreover, the anchoring system that is built fires around the area was pretty solid. Until yesterday, according to Associated Press, no less than 3470 personnel involved in fire suppression efforts throughout Russia. Especially in Sarov and Chernobyl.

"Two planes and two helicopters circled Sarov continue throughout the day. Monitoring of hotspots has consistently done from the air," said Mikhail Turkov, a spokesman for the emergency situations ministry Volga region. Until yesterday, there are no hot spots that appear in the city despite the forest surrounding Sarov had burned since last week. Only, said Turkov, the anchoring system made of fire sacks of wet leaves began to take fire.