New fires fanned by strong winds flare near Chernobyl in Ukraine

KIEV (Reuters) - New fires broke out in the area around the defunct Chernobyl nuclear plant on Thursday, fanned by heavy winds that have made it harder to put out the blaze, Ukrainian officials said.

Emergency workers managed several days ago to contain an initial bout of fires that tore through forests around the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986. Ukrainian authorities have played down any radiation risk.