Over 30 forest fires during the holidays: the Enterprise’s forest protection service responded quickly and professionally!

In the past week, 31 forest fires occurred across the territory of SFE “Forests of Ukraine”, affecting a total area of 78.4 hectares.

The main cause is human activity. The weather has been exceptionally warm and dry. Many people are spending time in the forests. Despite the ban, some continue to light campfires. There have also been cases of arson involving dry grass and waste.

A military factor also played a role: in the Kyiv region, despite Putin’s so-called “ceasefire,” a fire was caused by a drone crash.

All outbreaks were promptly extinguished. A total of 163 forest protection personnel were involved in the firefighting efforts, along with 23 fire trucks and 15 tractors used either to transport water tanks or to create firebreaks.

A particularly difficult situation occurred in the Balakliia forestry unit in the Kharkiv region, where a forest fire spread across more than 340 hectares. The scale of the fire is explained by the presence of landmines in the forested area. The fire spread into the mined forest from nearby meadows that had been set on fire by local residents. The fire has now been contained through joint efforts of the forest protection service and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Full extinguishment is still underway. Unfortunately, during the fire suppression efforts, one of the fire trucks hit an explosive device, with two of our employees on board.