Large-scale fires caused by shelling have been extinguished in the Izyum Forest District in the Kharkiv region
In the Izyum Forest District in the Kharkiv region, authorities have successfully extinguished the large-scale fires that broke out as a result of Russian shelling last week. Rescue workers and forestry services worked to put out the fire, which had engulfed vast areas of forest in the region.
This was reported on Facebook by the “Slobozhansky Forest Office” branch of the state enterprise “Forests of Ukraine.”
“At the end of last week, forest fires caused by enemy shelling broke out in the Izyum Forestry. Despite all the challenges, the fire was successfully contained through the joint efforts of the services, and a large forest area was saved,” the post states.
According to the branch, the two largest fire pockets occurred in different sections of the Artemivsk Forestry, with areas of 10 and 11 hectares engulfed in flames.
“Forestry equipment and personnel, along with the State Emergency Service, were working on site. The situation in this area was complicated by the proximity to the contact line, constant enemy strikes, and strong gusts of wind. In addition, part of the territory was blocked by fallen trees, through which heavy equipment could not pass. There, foresters had to cut through the logs and, in some places, extinguish the fire manually using backpack sprayers,” the Slobozhanskyi office reported.
It is noted that due to the constant threat of shelling and the high level of landmines in the region’s forests, new fires periodically break out, to which foresters respond promptly; in complex cases, when the fire spreads too quickly, units of the State Emergency Service join the extinguishing efforts.
Over the course of a week, foresters extinguished 22 fires, most of which were caused by Russian shelling.
In the Sumy region, rescue workers extinguished fires throughout the day that were caused by Russian attacks in four communities simultaneously. The fire engulfed residential buildings, farm structures, and civilian vehicles. Despite the risk of further strikes, the fires were successfully extinguished.
In the Poltava region, Russian strikes caused fires at industrial facilities in the Myrhorod and Kremenchuk districts.
