Inaccessible terrain for vehicles and people, rocky and steep – Serta mountain most critical for Stip firefighters
Commander Blagoj Rendzhov says the inaccessible, rocky terrain and fallen timber hinder firefighting efforts.
Stip firefighters this summer intervened in fires in forested areas and saved houses and weekend homes; the new heat wave increases the risk of new blazes. According to the commander of the Fire and Rescue Unit Stip, Blagoj Rendzhov, the mountainous areas remain the most at risk because access by vehicle and on foot is often impossible — rocky and steep — and he singled out Serta mountain as the most critical.
Inaccessible terrain makes firefighting more difficult
"Critical places are the region toward Karbinci Municipality, the Plachkovica mountain, on the other side Trogerci, where we border Sveti Nikole Municipality, then follows Serta with the villages Lakavica, Leskovica, Selce, Puhche. Here we have critical villages, inaccessible terrain, with a lot of fallen timber, which makes extinguishing the fires more difficult for us," says Blagoj Rendzhov, commander of the Fire and Rescue Unit Stip.
Rendzhov points out that the vehicle fleet is solid and technically well equipped, but firefighters are lacking. Part of the shortage is supplemented with assistance from the Directorate for Protection and Rescue (DZS).
"Since the start of the season DZS has brought us vehicles for the intervention fire service. We have four PINCs, two BTRs, non-stop we have personnel from the Directorate who are on duty here, who are here 24 hours and who really help us in extinguishing the fires," Rendzhov added.
According to the Crisis Management Center, from 1 June to 31 August this year, 1,696 fires were registered on the territory of Macedonia, of which 69 were forest fires, while the others were on dry grass, stubble fields and landfills. The greatest damage to forests from fires was recorded in 2022.
Local teams warn that the combination of inaccessible slopes, fallen trees and prolonged hot and dry weather will keep the risk high for the remainder of the season, and Serta mountain remains at the center of their concerns.
Photo: press material from the event
