Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksii Danilov, Head of the State Emergency Service Mykola Chechotkin and Head of the National Police Ihor Klymenko left for Luhansk region to coordinate forces in overcoming large-scale forest fires and to conduct aerial monitoring of blaze-hit areas. Apart from that, a meeting of the State Commission on Technogenic and Environmental Safety and Emergencies is scheduled.

The Minister of Internal Affairs noted that more than 1,200 employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were involved in the fire fighting.

"More than 1,200 employees of the State Emergency Service, the National Police, the National Guard and 200 units of equipment, including two AN-32P aircraft, are involved in extinguishing the fire. The operational headquarters works around the clock," Arsen Avakov said.

The Minister of Internal Affairs added that the SES staff had already evacuated from the buildings in the village of Smolyaninovo and the suburban cooperative "Vovche Ozero" (Wolf Lake) 30 people and another 30 people were relocated. The blaze destroyed 23 houses and 80 country houses, damaged 36 houses.

As was reported earlier, on July 6 at 13:21 near a village of Oskolonivka, Novoaidar district, on the territory of Borovsky and Okhtyrsky forestries, a forest fire broke out on an area of about 50 hectares. At 08:11 on July 7, the fire was localized. Due to the gusty wind (up to 25 m/s) and high air temperature (+ 38 C), a fire spread to the village of Smolyaninove of the Novoaidar district. As of 08:00 on July 8 in the territory of the Novoaidar district separate points of burning of wood massifs near the village of Smolyaninove, village of Kapitanove and village of Voronove are observed.