On September 30, the Luhansk region was engulfed by a devastating fire that broke out in three areas along the demarcation zone and, due to strong gusts of wind, spread with lightning speed. The leading Ukrainian News Channel 5 reported the following: “The occupiers created diversions by setting fires in the parts of the ‘gray zones’ not under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. New pockets of fires were created by Russian shelling using bullets, shells and missiles.”
The fire spread to 13,000 hectares (32,500 acres) and caused widespread damage. Entire villages were burned. The fire destroyed more than 300 houses, and almost 200 people were hospitalized. Sadly, people lost all of their lifetime possessions. Suffering the greatest losses were the villages of Syrotyne, Voronovo and Smolianynove. Unfortunately, the government only partially compensates the people for their losses.