Data comprise site location, soil chemistry information (pH, soil moisture, Loss on Ignition (LOI)), an estimate of ground burn extent and soil biological activity (derived from application of bait lamina sticks) at 23 sites in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ), Ukraine in September 2016, March 2017 and September 2017; there were three replicate plots at each site. The estimated ambient dose rate at each plot is also provided. The primary purpose of these data was to enable an evaluation of the potential impact of wildfire on soil organisms. The work was carried out by UKCEH, Chornobyl Centre for Nuclear Safety and the University of Salford. Funding for this work was via the NERC REDFIRE project (NE/P015212/). Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/7833bdf5-3e85-44d3-8e7d-c9bf0632e38b