The Victims Of Fires In War-Affected Eastern Ukraine

In addition to war, Corona crisis and overwhelming instability, yet another disaster came to the war-affected Luhansk region in the form of multiple forest fires that quickly spread through extremely difficult weather conditions. Read on to learn more of how the fires have affected the lives of the people in Eastern Ukraine.

Devastation after Devastation

People in need have been calling CBN-Emmanuel asking for water, bread and food. Fire spares nothing and no one. These are the people who, at a moment’s notice, lost everything they had acquired through hard work – their homes, clothes, dishes, food supplies and even pets.

Here are some data collected from the local portal “Svoi”:

9 people have been killed by fires;
18 have been hospitalised with injuries and burns;
The total area of fires covered over 13 thousand hectares;
Over 300 buildings were damaged, including the premises of “Stanitsa Luganskaya” crossing point;
At least 150 have been evacuated.

The victims of fires are in particular need for drinking water, food and construction materials.

We announce the start of a fundraising campaign with the goal of helping 255 families in need of water and food. The cost of one emergency food set just £11. Who else is there to help these people if not us?

Who else is there to help these people if not us?

There are many stories of loss and hurt from the recent disaster, here are just a few:

A fire in the forest steppe in eastern Ukraine where there has been no rain for several months, is more than likely. Unfortunately, strong winds made this fire that started on September 30 much more destructive. The fire, which started in the forest, spread into the cemetery then came into the village and started destroying houses, killing pets and, sadly, people.

Our last trip to areas affected by fires was shocking to the core. On the last day of the trip it started raining which made the picture even more eerie compared to a sunny day. In the midst of chilly rain, the owners of destroyed homes continued to disassemble rubble with their own hands covered in dust with tears in their eyes. It’s scary to imagine that a cold winter is on its way, and these people still have nowhere to live. After almost a month since their homes had been destroyed, they lost hope of receiving any kind of help from the government. 

Kateryna

Elderly widow Kateryna turned away from us in tears when we brought help to her burnt house. Her documents, her phone, and every single thing she owned are now destroyed, except for the clothes she was wearing on the day of fire. “I am so grateful to all these people whom I don’t even know. They provided me with food and clothes and didn’t leave me alone…  I never knew that there is so much kindness in our world!  My biggest dream now is that my house would be repaired and I could spend the rest of my years in my land! Thanks for this delicious and fresh food. This is very valuable! ” – the elderly woman thanked us.

Ruslan

40-year-old Ruslan is a father of two children. “Our life just started getting a little better when we started repairs in our house and the children grew up. This fire took away everything that we had saved for our whole lives. We tried to save every penny and didn’t buy everything we needed – just to invest into our house. Now we have nothing, we have to start everything from scratch. But we are not giving up! After all, while we are alive and we are surrounded by such caring people like you. We need to believe that we will cope with this disaster! Thank you for your kind words and product support! ” – thanked Ruslan.

Tatiana

Tatiana is a young mother with two young children, whose house burned down to the ground. At the moment, they are placed in a shelter for fire victims in Severodonetsk, where conditions are far from normal. “Any grocery help is a great support for us, because it is hard for us to cook in someone else’s house, where we don’t belong”! We thank “Operation Blessing” for their concern and help! ” – Tatiana said.

Tired and Worn Out

There are many more stories of disadvantaged fire victims who did not allow us to publish their photos and stories. The people are tired – they are tired of waiting for help from the government. They are tired of the cold, tired of having no home to go to..

We are grateful to every partner and donor. Food remains a priority for those who have lost all food supplies and even the stoves where they can cook it.

Thank you for your help.