Ivana Knez: "I would have been homeless if not for Stojanče Angelov and the firefighters"
Designer Ivana Knez says neighbours, firefighters and Stojanče Angelov ran into the flames and saved her house; authorities report multiple blazes around the country.
Fashion designer Ivana Knez described a near-tragedy after a fast-moving fire threatened her home and neighbouring houses in the Dračevo and Zelenikovo areas overnight, saying the disaster was averted at the last moment by neighbours and emergency crews.
Ivana wrote on Facebook: "It was a matter of 20 seconds, only thanks to the people we still have a home!"
According to her account, the flames spread quickly and consumed more than half of a neighbouring lot, but rapid intervention by firefighting teams from Dračevo and Zelenikovo, the police, Stojanče Angelov and the whole neighbourhood prevented the blaze from reaching the houses.
She added with visible shock: "I saw the most terrible thing in my life, they ran straight into the fire."
In a longer message Ivana appealed directly to those who helped: "Tonight, if it weren't for Stojanče Angelov and the quick reactions of the firefighting teams from Dračevo and Zelenikovo, as well as the fast response of the police, I would have been left without a home. It was a matter of 20 seconds. To our great fortune there are good people in this country, the whole neighbourhood gathered in an unbelievably short time and we managed to save the houses. It is not known what started the fire, I have never seen anything more terrifying. To everyone who was here — A HUGE THANK YOU with all my heart for running directly into the fire! Because of people like that I do not regret staying to live here."
Wider wave of blazes across the country
Authorities say the situation with wildfires across the country remains critical. In the Debar area, firefighters battled for hours and, shortly before midnight, teams managed to extinguish a large blaze above the town near the village of Tatar Elevci; the commander of the Debar fire unit, Džetan Miftaroski, said crews averted a catastrophe on difficult terrain and that they suspect the fire was started deliberately.
On Pelister National Park the main fire has been contained but the threat persists; two firefighting personnel were injured in the fight and are now reported in stable condition. Military helicopters and "Er Traktor" aircraft took part in suppression efforts, and officials continue to call for maximum caution as high temperatures and wind increase the risk of new outbreaks.
Photo: press material from the event
