site.btaFire in Goten and Maleshevo Mountains in North Macedonia Continues to Burn

The fire in the Goten and Maleshevo mountains in the Republic of North Macedonia continues to burn, said the country's Crisis Management Centre.

The fire has been burning for a second week in a terrain that is difficult to access. Kire Mihailov, Deputy Director of the National Forests Public Enterprise, told the MIA news agency that, according to initial data, about 5,000 hectares have been affected. About 2,300 hectares are in the municipality of Vasilevo, in the eastern part of North Macedonia, and about 1,000 hectares are in the municipality of Berovo, in the eastern part of the country, where a beech forest has been destroyed. It is still unclear exactly how much damage the fire caused in the municipality of Radovis, in the southeastern part of the country.

The fire is under control on the side of the municipality of Berovo, Stojance Angelov, director of the Protection and Rescue Directorate, said at a press conference. He added that the rain that fell was not enough to extinguish the fire. Firefighters from Slovenia and a helicopter from the Czechia, which arrived as part of the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, remain on standby.