Number of wildfires in natural ecosystems almost tripled since the beginning of 2025 – SES

Since the beginning of 2025, 714 forest fires in natural ecosystems have been recorded across Ukraine, affecting 333 hectares of land. For comparison, in 2023 there were only 223 such fires, and in 2024 the number was 242. This means that in the first weeks of 2025 the number of fires almost tripled.

This was reported by Oleksandr Khorunzhyi, spokesperson for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES), during a briefing at the Media Center Ukraine.

“The number of fires has almost tripled compared to the last two years. The area burned has also increased significantly. In 2024, forest fires affected 45 hectares, while in 2025 the figure has already reached 333 hectares – an increase of almost seven times. These figures highlight the abnormal frequency of fires, especially in winter,” he said.

According to Khorunzhyi, the regions with the highest number of wildfires include: Lviv oblast – 171 fires; Kyiv oblast – 105 fires; Dnipropetrovsk oblast – 81 fires; Ivano-Frankivsk oblast – 63 fires; Zhytomyr oblast – 57 fires; Rivne oblast – 33 fires.

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