Skopje, 6 August 2024 (MIA) - The Government at its session on Tuesday reviewed a report on the situation with the wildfires across the country, noting that out of 13 fires, two have been completely extinguished, four are active, and the rest are contained. The biggest problem is caused by the fire near the village of Breznica, where the terrain is difficult and inaccessible.

According to the Government, 620 fires were registered in July alone. 

Tuesday's session also discussed the damages, as well as the reasons for such a large number of fires. The session has concluded that most of the fires are caused by human factors, mostly unintentionally, due to the burning of stubble and pastures, while in terms of deliberately caused fires, criminal motives prevail and there are several such cases that are being investigated.

"The fire near Kosel is contained, the fire near Plasnica has been extinguished, the fire in Delchevo region has also been extinguished, while the fire in Vrazhale near Zelenikovo is contained. The past 10 days have been extremely difficult, with 66 new fires," reads the press release. 

The session also highlighted the Government's quick response, with a state of crisis being declared in just a few hours after the first major fires, as well as the response in terms of the Army's engagement in dealing with the situation. 

"Thus, action was taken in the shortest possible time, and within that time, action was taken operationally at the highest level. The session also noted that the situation exceeded the domestic resources, i.e. they were insufficient to deal with the blazes, and the Government immediately requested foreign aid, i.e. it activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, given the difficult situation and the available resources," the press release adds. 

Photo: MIA archive and Government of the Republic of North Macedonia