Skopje, 15 August 2024 (MIA) - Four new forest fires broke out Thursday afternoon, according to Stojanche Angelov, Director of the Crisis Management Center (CMC). The fires were reported in Resen and Ohrid on Galichica, on Mount Lubin near the village of Cer, in the Klepalo area of Berovo, and in Chupino Brdo near the Kriva Palanka village of Luke.

In the fire on Galichica, low-growing vegetation and beech forest are burning. To the east, the fire is moving toward the villages of Leskoec and Stenje in Resen municipality, while on the Ohrid side, it is spreading west toward the Voitino area and north toward the mountain lodge.

This afternoon, efforts to extinguish the fire included a helicopter from the Ministry of Interior on the Resen side, three helicopters from the Protection and Rescue Directorate on the Ohrid side, and 120 people from various organizations, including the Protection and Rescue Directorate, Firefighting Units, National Parks, Mountain Rescue Service, volunteers, and others, were also involved in fighting the blaze.

There is also a fire in the Berovo region, in the area known as Klepalo, above the Ratevska River dam, where a pine forest is burning. According to the information from the Crisis Management Center (CMC), the fire was sparked by a lightning strike, and ten firefighters are currently battling the flames.

The fire in the area known as Chupino Brdo, near the Kriva Palanka village of Luke, was also caused by lightning. A mixed forest is burning, and the fire has spread into the territory of the Republic of Serbia.

Photo: MIA archive