On September 22, in the Raketne Urochyshche microdistrict of Mykolaiv, reeds along the Ingul River caught fire, causing environmental damage amounting to UAH 2.2 million.
This was reported by the Southwestern District Environmental Inspection on Telegram.
The fire lasted more than two hours and covered an area of about one hectare. As a result of the fire, more than 720 tons of pollutants were released into the environment, including 712 tons of carbon dioxide.
Inspectors from the State Environmental Inspection of the South-Western District calculated the damage caused to the environment by the release of toxins into the air. The total amount of damage to the state is over UAH 2 million 214 thousand.
The fire appears to constitute a criminal offense under Part 1 of Article 245 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – destruction or damage to plant life.
Environmental inspectors will send materials on the fact of damage to law enforcement agencies for entry into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations (URPI) and the start of a pre-trial investigation.
Advice from the State Emergency Service when detecting a fire
1) Call 101 (State Emergency Service);
2) Report the exact location of the fire, landmarks, size of the fire, and direction of spread;
3) If possible, specify whether there are people or animals in the risk zone;
4) Do not approach the fire;
5) Do not attempt to extinguish a large fire on your own without the appropriate equipment;
6) Avoid heavy smoke — use a respirator or cloth to cover your nose and mouth;
7) Alert people nearby to move away from the danger zone;
8) Warn owners of equipment, vehicles, and people in recreational areas about the fire;
9) Keep a safe distance;
10) If possible, help rescuers navigate the terrain.
We remind EcoPolitics readers that on September 16, a fire broke out on Khortytsia Island in Zaporizhia, where shrubs, dry grass, and forest litter caught fire on the territory of Khortytsia.
The State Emergency Service deployed 40 rescuers and 9 pieces of special equipment to extinguish the fire in Zaporizhia. Representatives of the Vodokanal municipal enterprise and the Krutoyariv Forestry also helped to extinguish the fire. As of September 16, at 8:30 p.m., firefighters had localized the fire on an area of about 4.5 hectares.
We also recommend reading about how the Tuzlivski Limany National Nature Park is gradually restoring its ecosystem after the large-scale fires that occurred on August 23-24.
According to Ivan Rusev, head of the research department of the Tuzlivski Limany National Park, the ecosystem of the natural park is gradually recovering, although it has suffered extensive losses. The first to recover in the Tuzlivski Limany area are the reed beds.
