The village of Canishte in Mariovo faced a serious situation after a fire that broke out the previous day destroyed more than 15 homes and buildings. In this settlement, which has around 10 permanent residents, the scenes today are grim. Canishte is located about 35 km from Prilep, in an area with extremely difficult terrain to access.
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The flames started at around 13:30 outside the village, but quickly spread toward the homes. Residents experienced moments of panic, while some houses continued to burn afterward. They said they were still in shock.
“There were people suffocating from the smoke down below, so they were pulling them out by hand. The ambulance was here, while the firefighters were helping. I was also carrying the women out by hand; we were using systems and oxygen was being administered. Fourteen to 15 houses burned down in the village,” a Canishte resident recounted.
Another resident said that efforts to stop the flames had continued since yesterday. “We fought the fire as much as we could, with shovels and water that we drew through pipes from the wells. We ran from one side to the other to protect the houses. We have not stopped since yesterday; we slept for only 2 hours, in shifts,” he said.
“It was very frightening when the fire was spreading. How could it not be frightening when everything was burning there?” another resident said.
About 15 homes, barns and other small structures were reduced to ashes by the flames. The fire entered the village from one side and spread rapidly because of the dry grass and dense vegetation. Fortunately, no injuries or fatalities have been reported.
For residents, unexploded shells left over from the First World War also posed an additional danger while they were fighting the fires. Their explosions could be heard continuously as the flames engulfed areas inside and outside the village.
Prilep’s firefighters arrived with 4 vehicles and 12 firefighters, but the great distance made the response difficult. The journey from Prilep to Canishte takes almost an hour by car.
Currently, the fire has moved away from the village, but it has not been completely extinguished. Flames continue to burn in two directions. Despite a request for aerial assistance made yesterday, the Firefighting Service did not send air support.
Teams continue to work in the field, while volunteers willing to contribute to extinguishing the fire have also been invited. The situation remains concerning, as the fire could become the largest of this season.
