Firefighters save historic UOC church from fire in Zakarpattia

Firefighters outside the UOC Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in Uhlia. Photo: State Emergency Service

On October 18, 2026, a fire broke out at the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in the village of Uhlia, Tiachiv district, Zakarpattia region, which belongs to the UOC’s Khust Eparchy. A spokesperson for the State Emergency Service in Zakarpattia confirmed the incident to Suspilne Uzhhorod. Firefighters managed to save the historic building from destruction.

Church staff noticed an unusual smell, followed shortly by smoke inside the building, and immediately called emergency services. Firefighters received the call about the blaze on Central Street at 4:34 p.m. and extinguished it by 5:53 p.m.

Nine firefighters and three fire trucks from Tiachiv, Dubove, and the local fire brigade in Chumalevo responded to the emergency. The fire started near the altar. While some firefighters battled the flames, others helped carry church property to safety.

The fire damaged the altar and church furnishings across an area of approximately 10 square meters (108 square feet). The cause of the blaze was not specified in the reports.

The church is a historic 19th-century stone building located on Central Street in Uhlia.

As the UOJ previously reported, a fire also broke out at a UOC church in the village of Novosilky in the Kyiv region.

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