Lviv firefighters successfully extinguish fire after Russian attack on infrastructure site

Firefighters in Lviv Oblast extinguished a fire at an infrastructure facility after a grueling battle against the blaze that lasted for hours, Governor Maksym Kozytskyi reported on March 24.

According to Kozytskyi, 61 firefighters worked from early morning until after 5 p.m. local time to put out the fire.

The facility was hit by missiles and drones several times during Russia's latest widespread attack in the early hours of March 24.

Russian forces fired 29 cruise missiles and 28 Shahed drones mainly targeting critical infrastructure in eight regions in the west, center, north, and south of Ukraine, the Air Force said.

Kozytskyi reported the fire at 7.38 a.m. local time writing on his Telegram channel that no injuries were reported.

Russia launched a second attack on Lviv Oblast at 9.30 a.m. with Kinzhal air-launched missiles, according to Kozytskyi.

Two hits were recorded at the critical infrastructure site, but the firefighters already on site due to the first attack were evacuated to a safe space on time, he added.

The Air Force branch in charge of western Ukraine reported shooting down eight of the 19 cruise missiles fired, as well as all seven Shahed drones.

In total, 18 cruise missiles and 25 Shahed drones were intercepted by the air defense across Ukraine.

Russia has recently intensified its attacks against Ukraine's critical infrastructure, with the March 22 strike damaging the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant, Ukraine's largest hydroelectric station.

The winter of 2023-2024 spelled yet another wave of massive strikes, but the resulting energy disruptions have not reached the scale of those in late 2022 and early 2023 as Russia's attacks this year have for the most part failed to disrupt en masse the country's power grid.

Read also: Naftogaz: Energy facilities in western Ukraine suffer damage during Russia’s overnight attack

We’ve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.