DPR: 31 Fires Extinguished, 10 Remain Active and 3 Are Under Control

The Directorate for Protection and Rescue announced that 10 wildfires remain active, while another three are under control. According to the institution, 31 fires have been extinguished.

Firefighting teams continue to tackle the active fires on the ground, using Air Tractor aircraft and police helicopters.

Stojançe Angellov of the Directorate for Protection and Rescue said that, as of 12:00 today, 10 wildfires had been recorded. In the municipality of Jegunovce, where the fire has engulfed a mountainous area and the terrain is difficult to access, a police helicopter is intervening, while firefighters will operate in areas that can be reached.

Meanwhile, the directorate’s Air Tractor aircraft are being used in Studeniçan, as the fire there is also in inaccessible terrain. Firefighters from Skopje have also been deployed to the area. Another fire, which has been burning for several days in the territory of Makedonski Brod, is in rocky, difficult-to-access terrain. Angellov described the situation as serious, while a State Firefighting Service forest fire unit, comprising 25 volunteers and five operatives, has been sent there.

Angellov stressed that Thursday was the most difficult day of the fire season so far, mainly because of the threat to populated areas. The risk was present in the village of Bogomillë in the municipality of Çashka, where the flames reached the first houses, as well as in the villages of Ivanjevci, Loznani and Novoselani in Pelagonia.

According to Angellov, more than 40 wildfires were recorded yesterday, six of which remain active. He said these fires do not pose a danger to populated areas and there is no possibility of them spreading to high-quality forest. A resident was also injured in the Pelagonia fires and was taken to hospital with burns to his hands.

Yesterday, the “Air Tractors” also intervened in the fire in the Studeniçan area, which was spreading toward the mountain. According to Angellov, the firefighters’ efforts and light rainfall helped weaken the flames, but the fire has not yet been extinguished.

He urged citizens to exercise maximum vigilance, particularly because of the high temperatures and the increased risk of fires spreading. /rtm2