Fire on Pelister fully extinguished after 72 hours of firefighting
Ivancho Toshevski says the complex operation involved park crews, municipal machinery, military helicopters and volunteers.
The wildfire inside Pelister National Park has been fully extinguished after 72 hours of continuous firefighting activity, the park's director Ivancho Toshevski announced.
Coordinated response involving military helicopters and municipal crews
Toshevski described the blaze as one of the most complex incidents this season on Macedonian territory, occurring in forests dominated by black and white pine and requiring an unusually complicated open‑area suppression effort.
He emphasised the scale of the response: "In spite of the unfavorable weather conditions on the ground, the operation was successful. The impossible became possible because the units of the Public Institution National Park Pelister, TPPE Bitola, TPPE Resen, the machinery of the Public Enterprise of the Municipality of Bitola, JP Strezevo, the Fire Forces of the DZS, DPD Arkhangel, DPD Kochani, the helicopters of the Air Wing of the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia, the DZS air tractors and a large number of private entrepreneurs and other volunteers were continuously on the ground without a single break around the clock. All this support was provided thanks to the director of the Directorate for Protection and Rescue, Stojanche Angelov," Toshevski said.
Firefighters, park rangers and machinery crews worked through three sleepless, intense nights on the fire line, and personnel remained on alert for more than 48 hours during the operation, the park office added.
Local fire units, municipal public works machines, volunteer teams and military aviation were credited with keeping the fire contained and preventing further spread toward populated areas. Authorities say the combination of ground crews and aerial assets was decisive in bringing the situation under control.
Officials have not announced an exact cause for the fire; the focus during the past days was containment and securing the affected perimeters while teams continued patrols to ensure no hot spots re‑ignite.
Photo: press material from the event
