Europe's largest nuclear power plant reportedly on fire in Ukraine

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in Ukraine is reportedly on fire while a gunfight between Ukrainians and Russian invaders rages on early Friday morning.

Located in Enerhodar in southern Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia is Europe's largest nuclear power plant and has six reactors. 

"Active firefight is going on inside a facility that is already on fire and controls 6 reactors," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted. "Firefighters unable to fight the fire because they are in the middle of a combat zone."

Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba warned that if the plant "blows up," it will be far worse than the Chernobyl nuclear crisis. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists estimates the 1986 disaster directly killed at least 6,000 people.

"Russian army is firing from all sides upon Zaporizhzhia NPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Fire has already broke out," Kuleba tweeted. "If it blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chornobyl! Russians must IMMEDIATELY cease the fire, allow firefighters, establish a security zone!"

The International Atomic Energy Agency acknowledged the reports of shelling at the power plant and said it is in contact with Ukranian authorities about the situation.

Rubio said Ukrainian TV has stated that one reactor is on fire at the plant, but it is not currently in operation. However, the reactor does contain nuclear fuel, he said.

The Florida Republican also said Ukrainian energy officials are telling U.S. officials that they are detecting elevated radiation levels at Zaporizhzhia. 

Enerhodar's mayor, Dmytro Orlov, sent a message on Telegram shortly before 2 a.m. local time, stating that the plant is on fire, which he said is a "threat to world security."

Live video of the power plant shows smoke rising from the area, while active gun fire and explosions rage on. It is unclear from the video whether the smoke is rising from the plant itself or from the surrounding buildings.

Rubio pointed out that the power plant is "built to withstand a direct hit from an airplane crash."

Problems may arise when there is a "loss of power or a shell draining the pools used to store spent fuel," he wrote. "If that fuel isn’t cooled it can melt & release large amounts of radioactivity."