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Forest fires near the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident in Chernobyl have seen radiation spike to 16 times its normal levels.

Yegor Firsov, head of Ukraine’s state ecological inspection service, shared a video on Facebook on Sunday of a Geiger counter showing how the radiation at the centre of the fires is far higher than normal.

He explained: “There is bad news – radiation is above normal in the fire’s centre.”

Yegor went on to explain that the fires had spread to about 100 hectares (250 acres) of forest.

They broke out on Saturday and the Ukrainian capital of Kiev has already mobilised two planes, a helicopter and around 100 firefighters to fight the blaze.

(Image: GETTY)

But the high radiation levels at its core has led to some difficulties in battling the fires.

Another video posted to YouTube by the Ukrainian government shows planes flying over the region to drop water in an attempt to put out the fires.

Smoke can be seen filling the sky behind the line of trees.

Radiation levels in the Ukrainian capital, though, were within normal levels, according to emergency services.

(Image: FACEBOOK/YEGOR FIRSOV)

The explosion of the fourth reactor at the Chernobyl power plant officially killed just 31 people at the time, according to the then-Soviet Union.

But, given the nature of secrecy within the Bloc, world experts believe the figure may be far greater.

The exclusion zone is largely unpopulated, although about 200 people have remained despite orders to leave.

It is not uncommon for fires to break out in the radioactive forest surrounding the former power plant.

(Image: GETTY)

Yegor claimed the latest blaze may have been caused by people setting fire to nearby grass.

The horrors of the Chernobyl disaster were explained to a whole new generation last year with the release of HBO's Chernobyl.

The drama showed how firefighters and residents near the power plant had their skin fall off as their health deteriorated.

But a Russian general who was depicted in the show has since come out to criticise areas of the drama.