Firefighters battling massive 500-hectare forest fire in Zhytomyr region

Emergency crews are battling a large-scale forest fire in Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region that has spread across an estimated 500 hectares.

According to Ukrinform, the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service in the Zhytomyr region reported this on Telegram.

“Efforts to extinguish a large-scale forest fire are ongoing in the Zhytomyr region. Its estimated area is about 500 hectares. Elevated air temperatures and strong wind gusts are contributing to the rapid spread of the flames,” the post reads.

Officials noted that some sections of the forest are mined, complicating firefighting operations.

A total of 235 personnel, 36 pieces of equipment, drones, and a firefighting robot have been deployed to contain the blaze.

Read also: Firefighting efforts continue in Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, radiation levels normal across Ukraine – State

Earlier, Ukrinform reported that in the Chernihiv region, a forest fire caused by Russian shelling had expanded to 4,300 hectares, with the fire shifting back toward Russian territory.

Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine