Angelov: Arson at five sites near Kavadarci last night, suspect detained

Stojanche Angelov, director of the Directorate for Protection and Rescue (DPR), said that late last night an arson attack ignited fires at five separate sites about twenty kilometres from Kavadarci and that police have a person suspected of starting them.

Firefighting response and terrain challenges

According to Angelov, crews faced very difficult conditions because the blazes burned on steep ground. He described a lengthy response by local services and confirmed firefighters remain at the scene to prevent re-ignition.

"Mayor Yanchev spent the entire night on the ground with his firefighters and sometime in the early morning hours, before 5 o'clock, they managed to bring it fully under control and extinguish it. Firefighters remained at the scene to make sure it does not reignite," Angelov said.

Employees of National Forests spotted the person suspected of setting the fires. "He fled from the vehicle, but was found later and at the moment the Kavadarci police are conducting a conversation with him. I hope that sufficient evidence will be secured for the suspect to be brought to justice," Angelov added.

The DPR also reported that yesterday roughly thirty open‑space fires were recorded across the country. Two simultaneous fires in Gostivar were among the more notable incidents, but both were extinguished.

"Despite our appeals to citizens to be extremely careful, because we expected greater movement for Ilinden and it was also the first hunting day with many hunters in nature, still about thirty open‑space fires appeared, meaning a larger number of people caused these fires. Thanks to the rapid initial response of local firefighters, the fires were extinguished. I call on citizens to be extremely cautious because today we also have a lot of movement, a holiday. It takes only a single spark to cause a fire with catastrophic consequences," Angelov warned.

Photo: press material from the event