Skopje, 4 August 2021 (MIA) – Currently there are nine active wildfires in North Macedonia, but the situation is most serious in the Municipality of Staro Nagorichane, near the village of Drenak. Conditions are rapidly changing, but all resources have been mobilized and unless new fires break out, all existing ones should be put under control over the course of the day, Crisis Management Center (CMC) head Stojanche Angelov told MIA on Wednesday. He underlined that the situation is most critical near the village of Drenok, where the fire is currently being extinguished by three Serbian helicopters, accompanied by a Macedonian Army chopper. Angelov expressed expectations that flames will soon be put under control. “The situation is also serious around Pehchevo, where the fire is also being extinguished by an Army helicopter,” he added. Currently there are active wildfires in the Valandovo area of Pogana, the Kumanovo village of Konjuv, the Kratovo village of Murashav, Prilep’s Pletvar, as well as in Delchevo. Angelov noted that the wildfire in Kochani, which has been active for three consecutive days, is currently under control. “The situation changes rapidly and fires are unpredictable due to dry grass, high temperatures and wind,” the CMC head said. In regard to the situation in Valandovo, he stressed that the wildfire is spreading in different directions because of the wind. Nevertheless, the situation is under control, Angelov told MIA. He added that Serbia has sent four helicopters to assist in firefighting efforts, but because they are working on unfamiliar terrain they must be accompanied by a helicopter from North Macedonia’s Army. “Serbia has sent four helicopters, of which three are taking part in firefighting efforts and one is being used for scouting. They are working on foreign soil, they aren’t familiar with the terrain and must be accompanied by one of our Army helicopters. They were ready to fly out on Tuesday, but there wasn’t any time for our helicopters to pick them up, as they were all out extinguishing fires and they would’ve lost visibility if they’d gone back,” Angelov said, adding that assistance has also been requested from Slovenia and Greece.