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Extinguishing work on a house in the Luhansk region (picture from the previous day)
Photo: HANDOUT / AFP
At least nine people were killed in forest fires in the war zone in eastern Ukraine.
14 injured were brought to hospitals with smoke inhalation, said civil defense.
According to the Interior Ministry, the fire brigade and the military have been fighting around 150 fires in the Luhansk region, some of which is under the control of pro-Russian rebels, since Wednesday.
The transition to the separatist area near the village of Stanyzja Luhanska has since been closed according to consistent reports.
According to the AFP news agency, the cause is that the flames exploded several mines near the border post.
A video from the border guard is said to show how the flames have also spread to the checkpoint itself.
Remnants of mines and ammunition make extinguishing work difficult
More than 9,300 hectares near the front line have already burned down and around 250 houses have been damaged, the civil defense said.
More than 1,500 firefighters are working with heavy equipment.
The presidential office in Kiev said the cause of the fires and their rapid spread must be investigated.
The country has suffered from multiple heat waves and persistent drought this year, increasing the risk of forest fires.
The work is dangerous: in September at least three rescuers were killed by explosions of ammunition remains and mines during fire fighting.
Fearing fire from pro-Russian separatists, the Ukrainian authorities hesitated to use fire-fighting planes.
The separatists now have a guarantee that the planes can be used without hesitation.
In 2014, parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, not far from the Russian border, broke away from Kiev.
According to UN estimates, more than 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists.
A new ceasefire has been largely observed since the end of July.
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fek / dpa / AFP