Skopje, 24 August 2026 (MIA) - The smell of smoke noticeable in parts of Skopje is coming from a wildfire on Mount Zheden, near the village of Bojane, which is gradually spreading from the Tetovo side of the mountain to the Skopje side. The fire is burning in an area that is difficult to access, the head of the Protection and Rescue Directorate, Stojanche Angelov, said on Monday.

Angelov said firefighters from Tetovo have joined their colleagues from Skopje to help put out the blaze.

“I expect this fire, which is difficult to extinguish, will be brought under control in the afternoon,” Angelov added.

In a press release earlier in the day, the Crisis Management Center (CMC) reported that the haze observed in Skopje on Monday afternoon was carried by the wind from a wildfire burning on Mount Kitka in the municipalities of Studenichani and Zelenikovo, where an Interior Ministry helicopter was deployed. 

MIA file photo