Russian Nuclear Facility No Longer Threatened by Wildfires

Tourists wear masks to avoid breathing the smog caused by peat and forest fires that has engulfed Moscow while in the background the Kremlin, one of Russia's most famous landmarks, is barely visible. Photo by EPA/ BGNES

Firemen teams managed to extinguish the blaze raging in the vicinity of the Russian Federal Nuclear Complex in the town of Snezhinsk, Russian media inform Tuesday.

The Complex is no longer threatened by the blaze, but for safety and security reasons fire fighters continue to watch it round-the-clock.

The local authorities in the town of Ozersk have banned all forest walks and a state of emergency was declared Monday. Ozersk is the site of the plant which processes the nuclear fuel.

441 firemen and servicemen and 66 pieces of equipment were used to counter the blaze, succeeding in cutting its advancement towards towns and villages and industrial facilities.

Meanwhile, the Russian Interior Ministry informs that one serviceman died after a burning tree fell on him.

Moscow has been smothered for days by dense smog created by wildfires and the concentration of harmful substances in the air is exceeding the norm 7 times. Local authorities say the mortality rate has doubled while losses are estimated at 1% of Russia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

International fire brigades, including 92 Bulgarian fire fighters, are assisting in extinguishing the forest blazes.

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