Five active fires in North Macedonia; two under control, three extinguished
Five fires remain active, two are under control and three extinguished; crews continue operations in several municipalities.
Five wildfires remain active across North Macedonia, two are reported under control and three have been fully extinguished, authorities say, while daily counts of recorded open‑land fires have steadied at roughly 20–25. Firefighting teams continue operations in several municipalities as conditions slowly normalize.
Active incidents are concentrated in the foothills of Mount Kitka and in municipalities including Makedonski Brod, where low vegetation and low‑growth forest continue to burn; Jegunovce, where one fire front crossed into the Saraj municipality near the village of Bojane; and Veles, where several fire branches moved toward the Zelenikovo area and burned mixed oak stands and low vegetation. A separate blaze is burning in the Balkanska neighbourhood of Shtip but officials say there is no threat to residents' property.
Authorities describe progress and remaining risks
"The fire that has been burning for several days in the territory of the Municipality of Makedonski Brod in the area of the village Dragov Dol has been significantly reduced thanks to the DZS module, thanks to the police helicopter which worked all day yesterday but also the three air tractors. Several of its branches have been successfully extinguished, only one section remains on rocky terrain where movement of people is extremely risky and difficult. In the territory of the Municipality of Studenichani near the village Ramni Gaber a fire is still active that is spreading through thorns, shrubs, hornbeam and poor-quality forest but on extremely difficult-to-access and in some places absolutely inaccessible terrain where it is not possible to arrive by vehicles. The extinguishing continues by the brigade of Skopje firefighters" – Stojanche Angelov, director of the Directorate for Protection and Rescue (DZS).
Firefighters from Skopje, teams from Macedonian Forests and DZS are concentrated at the Kitka foothills, where crews have been trying to localize the blaze for six days. In Makedonski Brod crews say most fire legs are out, with only an isolated sector on steep rocky ground remaining where human access is hazardous.
In Studenichani, near the village of Ramni Gaber, the fire continues through thorn, shrubs, hornbeam and other low‑quality stands on terrain that in places is practically inaccessible to vehicles, complicating suppression efforts. In Shtip the incident in the Balkanska area is being monitored but so far poses no danger to homes or property.
Two fires that started at landfill sites in Kratovo and Delchevo are now under control; once final hotspots are extinguished crews will proceed to cover and isolate the burned material. The Directorate for Protection and Rescue (DZS) has appealed to citizens to exercise extreme caution when outdoors and in nature.
Photo: press material from the event
