More than 3,000 fires have occurred in Mykolaiv region since the beginning of the year: «People set fire to stubble and the wind spreads the fire»

Fire near the village of Variushyne, August 2025, photo by NikVesti

Since the beginning of 2025, 3,195 fires have occurred in Mykolaiv region, 70% of which (2,206 fires) were in open areas, according to the Main Department of the State Emergency Service in Mykolaiv region.

This is stated in the article NikVesti «The forest is actually gone». Why is Mykolaiv region engulfed in fires and how does this affect the environment?».

The State Emergency Service says that since the beginning of the year, there have been 6 fire-related emergencies in the region, mostly in forests and fields. This includes a fire in the Varyushyno forest, where 45 hectares have already burned down.

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«A fire starts when three conditions are present simultaneously, creating the so-called fire triangle: a combustible substance, a heat source and oxygen. And in the presence of wind, firefighting becomes more difficult. However, in most cases, fires are caused by the human factor.

The main cause of fires in natural ecosystems in our region is mainly carelessness with fire or carelessness while smoking. This is 821 fires out of the total number. Therefore, the main thing is responsibility, awareness and compliance with fire safety rules», the SES explained.

At the same time, the number of fires is only growing every year, says Oleg Derkach, an ecologist and head of the Mykolaiv branch of the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine. This is primarily due to climate change, he added.

«When I worked as the head of the «Tilihulskyi» park, the number of fires was increasing every year. This was primarily due to hot summers. That is, say, until about 10 June, the grass stays green, then it turns straw-coloured, dries up, and somewhere in July and August we have a fire safety emergency», he explained.

However, the ecologist says, such weather conditions are more likely to increase the scale of fires, because the causes of their occurrence are different: enemy shelling and human influence.

«Why do such fires occur in natural ecosystems? In most cases, fires are caused by the deliberate burning of dry vegetation. That is, people set fire to pastures, stubble, and post-harvest residues, and then cannot control this process. The wind picks up the fire and spreads it. We are also in martial law now — under constant shelling», explained Oleh Derkach.

As a reminder, massive fires are being recorded in Mykolaiv region again. The State Emergency Service is concerned about this and is appealing to people: «How many more fires should beburned to reach the consciousness of citizens?», the emergency service writes.