Skopje, 19 July 2024 (MIA) – This morning, thick fog over Serta mountain is hampering the efforts to assess the status of a fire that has been ranging since last Wednesday. Stojanche Angelov, the director of the Crisis Management Center, reported from the scene that the poor visibility is obstructing the assessment of the fire’s location and extent.

This morning in Shtip, there is no smoke, in contrast to yesterday when, due to the dense smoke, the Crisis Headquarters advised citizens late last night to avoid being outdoors for extended periods and to stay in their homes. The fire has come within a few kilometers of the villages of Selce, Dragoevo, and Piperovo.

Friday morning, representatives from all institutions, firefighters, association members, and local residents will be on the ground, accompanied by machinery, to create barriers around the villages and extinguish the fire on Serta.

Last night, Mayor Ivan Jordanov emphasized that among the decisions made was to seek help from firefighters from other cities in the country to deal with the large blaze on Serta mountain in the Shtip region.

There is no fire danger to any critical army facilities at the Krivolak military training ground, according to the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Army in a press release following social media reports of a fire spreading at Krivolak earlier on Thursday.

According to the official press release, the fire has burned down some old buildings that were not of critical importance.

"All army infrastructure of special importance is safe and secured," the release says, adding that these facilities "have fire security belts in the required width of more than ten meters."

Army members battling the blazes have brought them under control at places where they "may be potentially threatening to infrastructure facilities of special importance." sk/mr/

Photo: MIA archive