The fire that started on May 5 in the Verkhno-Volovetske forestry of Mukachevo district was localized by the morning of May 7. At present, rescuers from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) and foresters continue to fully extinguish the blaze.
This was reported by the Carpathian Forest Office branch of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine".
Initially, the fire area was estimated at about 15 ha, but it later spread to cover 75 ha. Foresters attribute such rapid escalation of the disaster to weather conditions.
“Due to abnormal drought and strong winds, the fire quickly spread across mountain slopes, engulfing new areas,” explained the Carpathian Forest Office.
Currently, to prevent the forests from reigniting, foresters are intensifying perimeter control and creating mineralized strips.
The work of rescuers was also significantly complicated by the terrain. As added by the SESU, firefighters had to overcome windthrows and hard-to-reach slopes.
According to the night-time updates from the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Zakarpattia region, 379 people were involved in the elimination – including rescuers, foresters, and local residents.
To extinguish the fire, 49 units of equipment and even SESU aviation were used. The spread of fire was monitored using drones.
Source: Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Zakarpattia region
EcoPolitic previously reported on the progress of the large-scale fire elimination.
