Abnormal heat caused mines to detonate and fires to break out in the forests of the Kherson region

Due to anomalous heat in the forests of Kherson region, mines began detonating, causing two fires in areas with a high level of mine danger. Foresters managed to contain the spread of the fire and prevent it from reaching the tree crowns. This was reported by the state enterprise "Forests of Ukraine," UNN writes.

Of the 40,000 hectares of forests in the Kherson Forestry District, 39,200 hectares remain potentially mined. The heat brought a new threat to the de-occupied areas of the forest reserve: explosive devices began detonating at two sites due to the high temperature. This caused two forest fires covering areas of 4.5 and 4.7 hectares

Putting out fires under such conditions is an extremely difficult task:

• it is impossible to drive equipment to the epicenter of the fire or enter deep into the forest;

• creating mineralized strips is dangerous, as a tractor plow could hit a mine hidden in the ground at any moment;

• burning branches scatter dozens of meters around, significantly complicating the localization of the fire.

The forest protection service contained the spread of the fire along demined access routes and forest roads. Thanks to the employees’ perseverance and coordinated actions, the fires were prevented from developing into crown fires: the flames did not spread to the tree crowns

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