The fire on Zheden engulfed Skopje in smoke

From midday thick smoke enveloped Skopje: the smell and plumes were felt across the city, which alarmed part of the population. Authorities reassure that there is no active fire in the urban area and no immediate danger to citizens, and that the cause of the smoke is the wind carrying it from a fire on Mount Zheden in the cadastral area of the village of Bojane.

Kitka, Bigla and other hotspots - accusations of deliberate ignition and differing estimates of the damage

The fire on Mount Kitka, which broke out yesterday, is active again; officials say there are indications of deliberate ignition because the new flames appeared far from the fire line. According to information, the fire line currently exceeds 10 kilometers and is located in predominantly inaccessible terrain.

"People who out of greed or advisory motives persistently set fire and again ignited a long line that was impossible to extinguish quickly. These malicious people, who set such a fire in such a place, should know that by their behavior they risk killing other people, the residents of the numerous villages around and below Kitka," said Stojanche Angelov, director of the Directorate for Protection and Rescue (DZS).

The fire near the Delchevo village of Bigla has been localized, but according to initial reports the damage is large: in about 10 hours over 200 hectares of pine and oak forest were destroyed. On the other hand, the mayor of the Municipality of Delchevo gave a lower estimate for the fire that broke out yesterday around 10:30 a.m.

"The fire that broke out yesterday at around 10:30 a.m. is currently localized and has been brought to a standstill. With prior well-conducted observation by drone, all critical points were located and then local extinguishing on the fire itself was immediately undertaken. From the information I have, it concerns an area of burned pine and oak forest of 22 hectares," said Ivan Gotevski, mayor of the Municipality of Delchevo.

No report has yet been filed against the elderly man who is suspected of having caused this fire by burning tires in the yard of the house.

Public Enterprise "Macedonian Forests" announced that the branch of the fire that moved from Serbia toward the Tabanovce border crossing and the mountain villages in the Municipality of Lipkovo is localized and under control.

"During yesterday we were in constant communication with the authorities in the Republic of Serbia. Intensive work was carried out on that fire and during yesterday, until late afternoon, that branch which posed a danger of reaching our border was completely brought under control. There is smoldering inland as with any fire, however we will wait to see whether it will be completely extinguished," said Kire Mihailov, deputy director of PE "Macedonian Forests".

At the moment there are five active fires in the country: on the mountains Kitka and Zheden, as well as in the municipalities of Makedonski Brod and Ilinden. The fire near Kicevo's Tajmishte, where beech forest is burning, is under control. Firefighting units and mountain teams are working on multiple fronts, and meteorological conditions and the wind continue to influence the spread and holding of smoke over populated places.

Ognen Chancharevic

Photo: press material from the event