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This ancient artifact episode of History Daily originally aired on April 26th, 2022.

It's the early hours of April 26th, 1986, in Soviet Ukraine, at a fire station attached to the

Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Landage Chevré, a 36-year-old firefighter,

tosses and turns in his bunk. He isn't on duty for another two hours,

so he should be sleeping. But the beds in the station are hard and narrow,

and Landage struggles to sleep. Finally, he manages to get comfortable,

but just as he's about to drift off, a distant explosion shakes the room. Landage's eyes snap open.

He rolls off the bed and bounds down the stairs, out of the building and onto the road.

In the distance, Landage can see flames shooting high into the air over the reactor building.

Landage doesn't hesitate to respond. He hurries back inside and joins his fellow firefighters

to say rush towards their vehicles. Landage falls himself on board to lead engine.

He takes a seat next to the commanding officer who is already shouting orders into a walkie-talkie,

barking, call everybody in, call everybody in. With their blue lights flashing,

the fire engines roar out of the station and speed around the power plant toward the burning reactor.

Inside the lead vehicle, Landage and the other firefighters hurry to get suited up.

Although they're part of a nuclear plant fire brigade, they only have regular gear,

and it's not enough to keep them safe from the danger that's waiting for them.

The engine joltz to a stop outside the towering reactor building. As Landage leaps out,

he's amazed by what he sees. It seems like the entire reactor is on fire.

...