Wildfire from Kosovo enters near Gracani; smoke and smell reach Skopje

A large wildfire that crossed from Kosovo has entered the cadastral area of the village of Gracani and generated a fire front more than five kilometres long, authorities said, while smoke and its smell are being reported in parts of Skopje.

Firefighters from Skopje and local teams trying to contain multiple blazes

On another front, the major blaze in the Lakavica region between the villages of Puhche and Selce in the Shtip municipality has been brought partly under control, but crews are still working to extinguish a remaining flank moving toward the village of Selce on Mount Serta, said Blagoj Rendzhov, commander of the Shtip fire unit. Shtip firefighters remain on site to tackle the flames.

Rendzhov said extra forces were mobilised after the fire threatened a cluster of weekend houses the previous night. "We still have one flank that is critical towards the village Selce, but I hope that today the weather will help us, meaning it will be cooler, there won't be strong winds, so we can bring that flank of the fire under control. Otherwise the fire last night threatened the first weekend cottages, because there is a settlement of weekend houses there. For that, additional forces were requested from the Directorate for Protection and the surrounding municipalities. We managed to save the weekend cottages and, fortunately, we have no injured persons," he said. Rendzhov also reported that witnesses told them the fire may have been started deliberately and that the Shtip police were informed.

Stojanche Angelov, director of the Directorate for Protection and Rescue, described the nationwide situation as still alarming. He said firefighters and volunteers faced more than 41 open‑space fires yesterday, and that light rainfall in some areas provided only limited relief.

Angelov warned that overnight a heavy fire from Kosovo advanced into North Macedonia near Gracani. "During the night, a heavy fire entered Macedonia from the Kosovo side, which is currently moving in the cadastral area of the village Gracani, and has a large fire line - longer than five kilometers. Skopje firefighters are on site with support from the fire teams of the Directorate for Protection and Rescue and all are trying to establish partial control over this fire so that nearby villages are not endangered. That danger is excluded for now, but the smell of the fire can be felt in parts of Skopje," he said.

Angelov added that new ignition points reappeared on Mount Kitka on the Skopje side, within the Studenichani municipality near the village of Kolichani, and in the lowlands around the village of Cvetovo. He also singled out a powerful blaze on the border between the municipalities of Struga and Debar, near the villages of Lukovo and Burinec. "Again someone has set new fires, on which the Skopje firefighters are working. One of the most severe fires currently active is the fire located on the border between the municipalities of Struga and Debar, in the areas of the villages Lukovo and Burinec. Because of the danger that this fire could approach nearby settlements, early this morning an army helicopter was sent there as support, which with its large bucket has been operating throughout the morning," Angelov said.

According to Angelov, the Pelister fire has been placed under full control but continues to show isolated smouldering. Other active fires around the country are relatively smaller and, for now, do not threaten settlements.

Photo: press material from the event