site.btaCode Red for Risk of Fires Issued in North Macedonia, Local Media Report

The Crisis Management Center of the Republic of North Macedonia has issued a code red warning for very high risk of fires in the eastern, central and southern parts of the country, the local newspaper Večer reported here on Monday.

The wildfire situation is worsening for the second time this summer due to the high temperatures, which pose a major risk for the quick spreading of fires, said the paper. The fire danger index is at its highest – although it doesn’t indicate where exactly the fires will break out, it shows the favorable conditions for their outbreak and how easily they could spread. 

The Crisis Management Center has registered a total of 25 wildfires in the last 24 hours – two of them are still active, 22 have been extinguished and one is brought under control. 

Most of the time the fires break out in places with lots of dry grass and agricultural waste. Setting the dry grass on fire, whether intentionally or accidentally, can easily turn a small fire into an intense wildfire due to the drought and the high temperatures.