FIRE NEAR CHERNOBYL EXTINGUISHED.

A powerful fire in an area of abandoned villages, grassland, and forest situated some 10 kilometers from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, lasted for seven and a half hours yesterday before being extinguished. The fire was tentatively traced to a cigarette butt originating from authorized visitors within the exclusion zone. The population was evacuated from that zone after the 1986 disaster. Initial assessments by specialists seem to agree that the abundant smoke produced by yesterday’s fire did not pose contamination dangers. (Western agencies, April 23)

Dudaev Death Alleged and Denied.