Chernobyl inferno could send toxic cloud over Europe

Forest infernos in the exclusion zone around Chernobyl are nearing the exploded nuclear reactor with fears toxic air could contaminate Europe.

With winds swirling, emergency workers are rushing to build firebreaks around the sarcophagus covering the blitzed plant in Ukraine – where fires have been raging for nine days.

Fires have been blazing for nine days in the almost uninhabited 1,000-square-mile exclusion zone surrounding the dead zone.

There are fears radiation in the ground could reak the Ukrainian capital, and other populated areas.

“The fire in the Chernobyl exclusion zone is beginning to get close to the sarcophagus,” reported dialog.ua Russian channel NTV said.