More than 41,000 hectares affected by fires in Macedonia in 2026, over 30 detained on suspicion of arson

This season’s fires have caused significant damage in Macedonia, burning tens of thousands of hectares, causing losses amounting to millions of euros and leading to dozens of people being investigated on suspicion of deliberate arson.

Data show that around 41,000 hectares of land were burned during 2026. Meanwhile, the Public Enterprise National Forests recorded 138 fires in forest areas by the end of July, while the damage caused by then amounted to more than 4 million euros.

The fire situation continued throughout August and September due to high temperatures. For this reason, the final assessment of the damage has not yet been calculated.

The deputy director of the Public Enterprise National Forests, Kire Mihailov, said that the number of fires was expected to reach around 150 by September, warning that this would also be the figure with which the year would end. He also said that the damage by the seventh month had exceeded 4 million euros, excluding the major fires that had not yet been calculated, including the one in Kitkë, described as one of the largest fires of the year.

By the end of August, police had detained 30 people suspected of deliberate arson.

According to Kire Mihailov, more than 30 people were detained during 2026 on suspicion of deliberately starting fires. He said that proceedings were continuing in court and before the prosecutor’s office, describing this as a serious number of cases.

The State Audit Office reports that during 2023 and 2025 alone, fires destroyed more than 82,000 hectares of land and over 914,000 cubic meters of timber in the country’s forests.

For this period, the financial damage was estimated at around 133 million euros. According to statistics, 2024 was the most severe year, with losses estimated at more than 83 million euros, reports Zhurnal.mk.