Fire near Russian nuclear centre grows in size: official

Wildfires raging close to Russia's main nuclear research centre have grown in size and emergency services are working round the clock to contain the blaze, officials said today.

Wildfires raging close to Russia's main nuclear research centre have grown in size and emergency services are working round the clock to contain the blaze, officials said on Friday.

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Russia has sent thousands of firefighters to douse wildfires close to its top nuclear research centre in Sarov, a town in the Nizhny Novgorod region still closed to foreigners as in Soviet times.

"The fire which appeared in the eastern part of the nature reserve two days ago after lightning struck a pine tree has grown in size and now presents a certain danger," the head of the emergencies ministry for Mordovia, Major General Vyacheslav Kormilitsyn, said in a statement.