The memory of lost colleague was honored by the liquidators of the disaster, workers of the Ministry of Emergencies and young firefighters. The first and the heaviest radiation impact was taken by station personnel and rescuers. For courage and selflessness the fire-fighter Vasily Ignatenko was posthumously awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
Vasily Ignatenko came to the fire department for the protection of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the early eighties. At 25 years he was already the squad leader. And on April 26, at two o'clock in the morning, the Belarusian turned out to be among those, who were the first to approach the nuclear reactor destroyed by the explosion.
