Grachani wildfire: firefighters battle flames as wind pushes fire toward homes
Fire crews and aerial tankers battled a blaze near Grachani as wind shifted flames toward houses, authorities say.
A large wildfire near the village of Grachani, close to the border with Kosovo, threatened homes this afternoon as firefighters and teams from the Directorate for Protection and Rescue raced to hold the fire line.
Director Stojanche Angelov said crews are fighting “face to face” with the flames to defend houses and that wind changes pushed the fire toward the settlement despite previously secured firebreaks.
Air units operating at low altitude
Angelov said air support has been active all day: this morning one military and one police helicopter took part in suppression, and in the afternoon aerial tankers — described locally as “air tractors” — made low-altitude water drops. In a shared video an aircraft can be seen releasing three tons of water on a fire-affected sector.
He estimated the main fire line may exceed 10 kilometers and noted the blaze crossed into North Macedonia from Kosovo several days ago and is now being fought on both sides of the border.
Smoke from the burning area can be detected in Skopje when northerly or northwesterly winds blow; the Hydrometeorological Service (UHMR) forecasted a north–northwest wind this afternoon. Angelov warned that the fire season is not over and that climate change is extending the period of high risk.
Photo: Принтскрин
