Drinking water in Gostivar is clean and safe for consumption, while the 30-day state of crisis in the territory of the Municipality ended at midnight last night, announced Stojanche Angelov, director of the Directorate for Protection and Rescue.

According to him, the end of the crisis also marks the conclusion of the involvement and direct oversight of the central government and state-owned enterprises.

“With the end of the state of crisis, central government institutions, including the Public Enterprise ‘Vodovod’ from Skopje, are withdrawing from monitoring the quality of the water. It is now the turn of the local authorities and local self-government to ensure that the people of Gostivar continue to drink clean and safe water,” Angelov declared.

The state of crisis in Gostivar was declared by the Government on July 20, after the local authorities were unable to manage the contamination of the drinking water and the outbreak that affected several thousand citizens on their own.

The use of the water for drinking had been prohibited since July 17. The competent institutions stated that the contamination was caused by improperly installed pumps belonging to the Public Enterprise “Komunalec”-Gostivar, which allowed contaminated water to enter the system. As a result of the bacterial poisoning, thousands of citizens sought treatment in hospital.

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Twenty-nine fires were recorded in open areas over the past 24 hours, Stojanche Angelov, director of the Directorate for Protection and Rescue, said. According to him, 23 have been extinguished, while six remain active.

The most concerning incident was recorded in the village of Çanishte, near Prilep, where the flames spread among the houses but did not reach residents’ homes. In a video message, Angelov said firefighters had worked throughout the night and expressed confidence that the fire would be brought fully under control during the day today.

“Great gratitude to the Prilep firefighters, who fought the fire with dedication and managed to save most of the village. Thanks also to the volunteer firefighters from Bitola, who were deployed through the Directorate’s rapid response team and worked throughout the night, and are continuing to work even now. They extinguished a large area engulfed by the fire, and I think we will bring this fire fully under control today, although I myself had doubted that we would succeed in this effort,” Angelov said.

Another serious situation was reported in the territory of the Municipality of Jegunovce. The fire spread into the area of the village of Tudence and endangered the monastery located nearby.

“Because of the great danger to the monastery, as well as the lack of local firefighters from Tetovo, who at that moment were not anywhere near the monastery, I sent several Directorate teams, made up of volunteers from Gostivar, from the Çair volunteer association in Skopje, as well as a volunteer association from Tetovo, which is not engaged through the Directorate but, with my approval, joined the effort to extinguish the fire and protect the monastery,” Angelov added.

Angelov also reported that the fire from Veles remains active and is moving toward Zelenikovo. In Makedonski Brod, meanwhile, the intensity of the fire has decreased significantly. Three “air tractors” and a police helicopter have also been deployed in the operation to extinguish it.

There are also active flames in Studeniçan, in the area of the village of Ramni Gabër, but the fire is far from the village.

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The wildfire situation in open areas has worsened significantly today. Stojanche Angelov, director of the Protection and Rescue Directorate (PRD), announced that at least 21 fire outbreaks had been recorded this afternoon, most of which remain active.

Angelov cited the fire in the municipality of Makedonski Brod, in the Vidush locality near the village of Dragovo, as one of the most difficult incidents to tackle. He explained that the flames have not engulfed high-quality forest, but rather a rocky area covered with shrubs, thorns and dry grass, on terrain where movement is extremely difficult.

Angelov announced that a PRD unit consisting of volunteer firefighters specially trained to extinguish forest fires will be sent to the area tomorrow morning.

Serious fires have also broken out in the municipality of Studenichani, above the village of Morane. Three Air Tractor aircraft continue to operate there and remain in the field, while Skopje firefighters are also involved in the response, supported by four PRD teams equipped with Pinzgauer vehicles.

Another active fire has been identified above the village of Strahojadica, in the municipality of Zelenikovo, an area where a major fire broke out several years ago. Meanwhile, a large fire is spreading above the village of Manastirsko Dolenci, in the municipality of Kichevo, threatening the local monastery. Angelov expressed confidence that local firefighters would be able to stop the flames from advancing toward the monastery and said further information would be provided tomorrow morning.

According to him, the situation is also very serious in the Polog Region, where reports have been received of several fires suspected of having been deliberately started.

In the municipality of Jegunovce, near the village of Kopanica, the flames have engulfed forests and low-growing vegetation. In the municipality of Tetovo, near the village of Dzhepchishte, low-growing vegetation is burning, as it is near the village of Prshevce in the municipality of Tearce. A fourth fire is located in the village of Chiflik, in the municipality of Zhelino, where the flames have engulfed low-growing vegetation and mixed forests.

Angelov also reported active fires near the village of Topolchani, in the municipality of Prilep, where low- and high-growing vegetation is burning. Other fires are burning near the village of Makovo in the municipality of Novaci, near the village of Vrsakovo in the municipality of Shtip, and close to the village of Dragosh in the municipality of Bitola.

Emphasizing that other fires also remain active, the PRD director urged citizens to exercise the utmost caution. He said that high temperatures and low air humidity are creating all the conditions necessary for fires to break out.

Angelov said that, in addition to careless citizens, malicious individuals had also been identified during the day. According to him, this indicates that some citizens acting with malicious intent are responsible for starting a larger number of fires.

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More than five fires in open areas were recorded during the day today, but none poses a serious risk and they are expected to be brought under control soon. This was stated from the scene by Stojanche Angelov, director of the Protection and Rescue Directorate (DMSH).

According to data from the Crisis Management Center (QMK), a total of six fires in open areas had been registered across the country by 1 p.m. Two of them remain active, while four have been extinguished.

The active fires are located near the village of Bërnjarc, in the Municipality of Haraçina, and in the settlement of Volkovo, in the Municipality of Gjorçe Petrov. In both cases, low vegetation is burning.

Meanwhile, the fires in the village of Banjicë in the Municipality of Çashka, the village of Bidzevë in the Municipality of Struga, the village of Senakos in the Municipality of Vrapçisht, and at the landfill in Dellçevë have been extinguished, the QMK announced.

Angelov said that yesterday, teams brought more than 25 fires in open areas under control. The most difficult intervention took place in the territory of the Municipality of Makedonski Brod, near Samokov.

“The fire entered terrain that was difficult to access, where a large number of firefighters from Makedonski Brod intervened, along with three Pinzgauer vehicles from the Protection and Rescue Directorate. The final blow was dealt to the fire by the rain that fell in the area yesterday afternoon,” Angelov explained.

Another larger fire was recorded yesterday in the Municipality of Novaci, where the flames engulfed a wide area of flat land. The fire was stopped and then extinguished thanks to the work of firefighters, the local government and farmers, who contributed machinery.

The DMSH director expressed his gratitude to the firefighters for their swift response, as well as to citizens who have demonstrated vigilance. He also warned that there is evidence of several deliberately caused fires.

“I urge citizens to continue to be aware and careful so that they do not accidentally start fires. Any suspicious behavior should be reported to 112 or to the nearest police station,” Angelov said.

Speaking about the water supply in Gostivar, Angelov said that the latest analyses had shown an improvement in water quality compared with previous measurements. However, he said, some more time should pass before the water is declared safe for consumption.

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