Massive wildfires trigger large-scale evacuations in Ukraine's Kharkiv region

Over 200 people have been evacuated due to massive wildfires affecting the Kharkiv region in Ukraine. More than 1,200 hectares are burning, and the media are calling it an "apocalypse."

According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine for the Donetsk region, the fire broke out on September 1 in the "Holy Mountains" National Park.

"Drought and strong gusty winds contributed to the rapid spread of the fire over large areas. Firefighting efforts are complicated by the contamination of forested areas with explosive objects," the statement reads.

By Monday evening, the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleh Synyehubov, announced that over 200 people had been evacuated from the endangered areas. He did not rule out the necessity of evacuating additional villages.

He assured that all services were fighting the blaze, and additional units were arriving at the scene.

Witnesses, surprised by the scale of the fire, recorded video footage. Photos and videos are circulating online. Ukrainian media compare the effects of the fire to an "apocalypse."

So far, about 20 houses have burned down. The firefighting operation involves 50 rescuers and 11 units. The forest is burning from the village of Balakliya to the village of Sviatohirsk. The straight-line distance between the towns is 85 kilometres.