Of this total, 1,051 cases involved dry and tall grass, straw, low vegetation, degraded forests, as well as waste or landfills, while 53 of them were classified as forest fires.

January ended with 38 larger-scale fires in open areas, and none was recorded as a forest fire, as all were related to the burning of dry grass, straw, low-stem forest and degraded forest.

In February, an increase was noted, with 46 large-scale fires in open areas, all of which were also linked to the burning of dry grass, straw, low-stem forest and similar vegetation.

The first forest fires of the year were recorded in March. During that month, 294 large-scale fires in open areas were registered, 24 of them forest fires, while the other 270 involved lower vegetation.

In April, a decline followed, with 183 fires recorded in open areas. Of these, 23 were forest fires, one fewer than in the previous month, while the other 160 cases involved smaller vegetation, waste landfills and similar incidents.

The same trend continued in May, when 134 fires in open areas were recorded. Only 2 of them were forest fires, while the other 132 involved dry grass, straw and landfills.

In June, according to the data, a total of 349 larger-scale fires in open areas were recorded. Of these, 4 were forest fires, while the other 345 affected dry grass, straw and low-growth forest.

The CMC also provided data for the first day of July (01.07.2026), when 10 wider-scale fires in open areas were recorded and none fell into the category of forest fires.

“Every fire in the open has its own specifics, impacts, risks and threats, damage and possible consequences for the lives, health and property of citizens. The most specific fires in terms of scope (area and damage) are the fires in the regions of Shtip, Sveti Nikole and Veles,” the Center told us.

On the other hand, reform of the protection and rescue system has long been announced. It envisages, among other things, the merger of the Crisis Management Center with the Directorate for Protection and Rescue, but the process being carried out under the supervision of Deputy Prime Minister Ljupço Dimovski has still not been completed.

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Angelov said it had been agreed that each Volunteer Firefighters Association would determine in advance a specific number of volunteers who, through the Protection and Rescue Directorate’s teams, would be ready to leave immediately for wherever intervention is needed in the event of a fire.

He said the meeting also discussed the method of internal organization, stressing that the structure would be changed entirely. According to him, instead of volunteers being engaged through the Directorate’s local branches, their involvement will be carried out through the institution’s internal organization. For this purpose, several people have been selected who, under a model similar to a military pyramid, will have the role of informing and coordinating the others.

“We reached an agreement that each Volunteer Firefighters Association should declare in advance a specific number of volunteers who, through the Protection and Rescue Directorate’s teams, will be prepared to be sent immediately to the place where they are needed in the event of a fire. We also discussed internal organization. We are completely changing the structure. Instead of volunteers being engaged through the Directorate’s local branches, we will do this through our internal organization. We have selected several people who, according to the principle of a military pyramid, will inform and coordinate the others. Simply put, if we have a major fire in the Shtip region, I will call a specific person we agreed on today and ask him to send a certain number of volunteers to the fire site. Whether it is 10, 20 or 30 people, he will organize them and send them. If it is a bigger fire, I will be able to request support from the other commanders, relatively speaking, of these units in the rapid response teams,” he said.

According to Angelov, such a system will significantly increase efficiency, as it will enable faster, simpler communication and timely internal reporting.

He stressed that his goal as director of the Directorate is for the need to involve the police and the Army in terms of human resources to be reduced to a minimum this summer. According to him, the focus should be on volunteers, most of whom are very well trained and have even greater experience, as all of them have taken part in extinguishing many fires in open areas.

“My goal as director of the Directorate is for the engagement of the police and the Army in the field of human resources to be reduced to a minimum this summer. As I have said publicly so far, we want to rely on volunteers, most of whom have excellent training and even greater experience, because all of them have taken part in extinguishing numerous fires in open areas. The engagement of volunteer firefighters instead of the engagement of the police and the Army. Of course, in the case of major fires that would threaten human lives and property, all state capacities will be at their disposal, including the police, the Army and other institutions. We are witnessing what is happening near Thessaloniki. We should ask ourselves what would happen if such a fire were to develop in our country and what would be needed to extinguish it,” he said.

Angelov also clarified that his previous statement about the daily payments received by volunteers referred to the Directorate’s rapid response teams. He underlined that volunteer firefighters do not receive any compensation.

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The fire that remains active was recorded in the Municipality of Brod, in the village of Belica, where low vegetation has been affected.

The fire in the Municipality of Brvenica, in the village of Miletino, where low vegetation also burned, has been brought under control.

Meanwhile, fires have been extinguished in the Municipality of Gjorče Petrov – the village of Kučkovo (degraded low vegetation), in the Municipality of Veles – the village of Crkvino (degraded low vegetation), as well as in the Municipality of Negotino – the village of Crveni Bregovi (degraded low vegetation).

The cases in the Municipality of Bogdanci – the village of Stojakovo (low vegetation), in the Municipality of Strumica – the village of Dobrejci (low vegetation), as well as in the Municipality of Kriva Palanka – near the “St. Joakim Osogovski” monastery (low vegetation), also remain without danger.

Among the extinguished fires are also the one in the Municipality of Prilep – the village of Carević (low vegetation in a forest area), in the Municipality of Karbinci – the village of Novi Karaorman (wheat and degraded low vegetation), as well as in the Municipality of Berovo – the village of Smojmirovo (low vegetation).

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The fire that continues to remain active is in the area of the municipalities of Cheshinovo-Obleshevo and Probishtip, specifically in the areas of the villages of Novoselani and Lepopelci, as well as Buchishte and Neokazi. In this region, low vegetation and degraded low-stem forests are burning.

Meanwhile, five fire sites have been brought under control and extinguished. Four of them were in the territory of the Municipality of Shtip, namely near the villages of Chardaklija and Star Karaorman, at the location “Isar,” as well as between the Shtip Dairy and the “Albatros” textile factory, where low vegetation, grain crops, and hay were engulfed by the flames.

The fire on the property of “Zhito Pollog” in the Municipality of Tetovo has also been extinguished, where low vegetation was likewise burning.

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One of the active fires was registered in the municipality of Shuto Orizari, near “Xhidi Komerc,” where waste and dry grass are burning. Another hotspot is in the municipality of Staro Nagorichane, in the village of Rugince, where the flames have engulfed low vegetation, straw, and dry grass.

Meanwhile, forest is burning in the village of Sretenovo in the municipality of Dojran. The two other active fires are in the Veles area: one along the Veles–Shtip highway, near Choloshevo, where low vegetation and dry grass have been affected by the fire, while the other is at the city landfill, where waste is burning.

As for the fires extinguished during the day today, one was in the municipality of Dolneni, in the village of Zhitoshe near the school, where low vegetation and dry grass were burning. The other fire was in the area of the village of Kukurechani in Bitola, where the flames had engulfed waste.

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The fire that continues to remain active is in the Municipality of Vasilevo, in the village of Vasilevo, where a waste dump has been engulfed by flames.

The CMC emphasized that the extinguished fires were recorded in the Municipality of Debar – the village of Gari (low vegetation and mixed forest with low-stem growth), the Municipality of Centar Zhupa – Centar Zhupa (flat land), the Municipality of Valandovo – the village of Kasandol (low vegetation), the Municipality of Dolneni – the village of Zhitoshe and the village of Lokveni (low vegetation and waste), the Municipality of Bitola – Mal Paris settlement (low vegetation), the Municipality of Aerodrom – the settlement of Drachevo (waste), the Municipality of Chucher Sandevo – the village of Blace (low vegetation and forest), the Municipality of Shuto Orizari – Brnjachka Buna Street (low vegetation and waste), the Municipality of Tetovo – the Tetovo–Brvenica road (low vegetation), and the Municipality of Kratovo – the village of Zheleznica (dump site).

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According to the announcement, the active hotspots are located in the settlement of Sveti Nedela, in the Municipality of Shtip, and in the village of Matejç, in the Municipality of Lipkovo, where low vegetation is burning.

The CMC also announced that the fire at the landfill in the village of Bansko, in the Municipality of Strumica, has been extinguished.

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According to the CMC report, the active fire is in Shtip, where a landfill has been engulfed in flames. Meanwhile, the fire in the municipalities of Sveti Nikole and Lozovo, specifically in the villages of Delisinci and Saramzalino, where low vegetation is burning, has been brought under control.

“The fires have been extinguished in the Municipality of Kumanovo – Gjuro Pucar Street 38 (low vegetation), the Municipality of Chashka – the village of Chashka (low vegetation), the Municipality of Demir Hisar – the village of Obednik (low vegetation), the Municipality of Gazi Baba – the village of Jurumleri (dry grass, shrubs and bulky waste), the Municipality of Lipkovo – the village of Lipkovo (dry grass), the Municipality of Lipkovo – the village of Matejche (dry grass), and the Municipality of Kumanovo – the Pero Chicho settlement (poles and trees),” the CMC said.

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