A fire broke out outside Europe’s largest nuclear power plant during intense fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces, Ukraine’s state emergency service said on Friday.
This incident triggered a series of phone calls between Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders.
However, the same sources confirmed that they had been able to put out the fire successfully, without stirring any serious panic among nuclear authorities.
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said there was no indication of elevated radiation levels at the Zaporizhzhia plant, which provides more than a fifth of total electricity generated in Ukraine.
.@ENERGY has activated its Nuclear Incident Response Team and is monitoring events in consultation with @DeptofDefense, @NRCgov and the White House. We have seen no elevated radiation readings near the facility. 2/
— Secretary Jennifer Granholm (@SecGranholm) March 4, 2022
Earlier, a video that emerged from the plant showed shelling and smoke rising near a five-storey building at the plant compound.
The footage shot at night showed one building aflame, and a volley of incoming shells, before a large candescent ball lit up the sky, exploding beside a car park and sending smoke billowing across the compound. It was not immediately clear who was in control of the plant.
