Kitka fire under control after two weeks, but Zheden blazes again

After two weeks of intensive firefighting the blaze on Kitka has finally been brought under control, but authorities warn the risk of deliberate ignition remains. Around midday, flames reappeared on Zheden mountain and a separate fire broke out near the Orthodox cemetery in Tetovo, with a danger it could spread toward the Šar Mountain.

Officials have appealed to residents of Studeničani Municipality to stay alert and to immediately notify the police if they spot suspicious people at the foot of Kitka.

Firefighters try to stop the line of fire near Tetovo

The latest outbreak began when a fire in a barn spread toward the Baltepe hill in Tetovo. Tetovo firefighters, backed by a police helicopter, worked to cut the fire line and prevent the flames from entering the forest and advancing toward the Šar Mountain.

"The fire broke out in an old barn. After the report, we came here to the Orthodox cemetery and ran hoses uphill because there is no road for fire trucks to go up. We asked for the evacuation of people from the nearby houses. We extinguished the fire at the barn and thus prevented the nearby houses from being endangered, but it continued to spread into the forest and toward Kaleto," said Avni Ameti, commander of the Tetovo fire brigade.

A separate, strong fire is also burning again on Zheden in the area of the village Kopanica; gusting winds are driving the blaze quickly toward the mountain peak and feeding flames through dry vegetation.

According to the Crisis Management Centre (CMC), active fires are also burning in the area of the Struga village Livada, where low vegetation and stubble are alight, and in the Municipality of Čaška. The blaze that spread from Gostivar toward villages in the Porečie area and the fires at the landfills in Delčevo and the village of Kuklish are reported to be under control.

Reported by Ognen Cančarević

Photo: press material from the event