Firefighters battle 18 large-scale fires in seven oblasts of Ukraine

Firefighters continue to tackle 18 fires in seven oblasts in Ukraine’s north and east – Poltava, Chernihiv, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Rivne and Sumy.

Source: Oleksandr Khorunzhyi, spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (SES), at a briefing on 23 September, quoted by Ukrinform

Quote: "A total of 18 large-scale fires are currently being extinguished in Ukraine. In particular, these are fires in ecosystems, including open areas, dry grass, shrubs, dead wood, and peat fires, which are very difficult and time-consuming to extinguish, and forest fires, mostly forest litter. An area of over 1,300 hectares is ablaze. These large-scale fires have been recorded in seven of Ukraine’s oblasts."

Details: Khorunzhyi noted that over 1,300 firefighters and more than 300 appliances are being deployed to extinguish the fires in these oblasts.

Asked about the factors that make the process of extinguishing these fires so challenging for firefighters, the SES representative explained that one factor is waterless areas.

Quote: "There has been no heavy rainfall for a very long time, and where the SES often works, it is often necessary to transport water over long distances or supply it through powerful fire pumping stations. The second factor is mines, especially in frontline areas or liberated territories. The third is attacks on our firefighters," the spokesman said.

Details: More than 46,000 fires have been recorded in Ukraine's ecosystems since the beginning of 2024.

Khorunzhyi said that 4,800 of the fires in ecosystems recorded this year were caused by the hostilities.

The spokesman urged people to follow fire safety rules and never to burn dry grass in such weather conditions.

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