The scattering of the fuel into the atmospher is what caused Chernobyl to be the disaster it was. Keep it in place, the reaction has stopped, all they need to do is get the cooling process completed. The efforts have been failing short of being completed, but each one has incrementally cooled the core.
Maybe I wasn't clear. I'm only suggesting this as a possible LAST resort. Hopefully it never gets that far. The reactions are still occurring.