Chernobyl ablaze Wildfires rage near nuclear power plant. A photo series

Wildfires are raging near the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl power plant. This is the site of one of the worst nuclear disasters in history, currently one of the most radioactively contaminated areas in the world. The fires, said to be the biggest in the area since 1992, were stopped just 5 kilometers (3 miles) away from one of the plant's nuclear waste repositories. Evacuations from the exclusion zone are underway. Authorities suspect the fires may have been caused by arson.

Fire hits an abandoned village in the exclusion zone around Chernobyl, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 28, 2015

A fire strip crosses a forest floor in the Chernobyl area, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 28, 2015,

An aerial view of a forest fire in the Chernobyl area, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 28, 2015

A handout picture taken and released by the Ukrainian Prime Minister press-service on April 28, 2015 shows rescue workers in a helicopter inspecting as fire rises from a forest fire burning in the distance near the Chernobyl plant in Ukraine.

A firework plane extinguishes a forest fire in the Chernobyl area, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 28, 2015

A firework helicopter extinguishes a forest fire in the Chernobyl area, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 28, 2015

An aerial view of a forest fire in the Chernobyl area, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 28, 2015.