Protection and Rescue Directorate (PRD) head Stojanche Angelov said Monday that more than 23 wildfires were registered yesterday, including seven that are still burning. The wildfires in the foothills of Pelister and near the village of Gradec in the municipality of Vrapchishte prove to be the most complex to be put out, according to Angelov.
“Throughout the night and morning, we fought a fierce battle with the flames. I can say that the fire has been contained and that the line of fire, which escaped us yesterday afternoon, has been stopped,” said Angelov.
He pointed out that firefighters from Resen and Bitola, teams of the State Fire Service with five specialized Pinzgauer vehicles, volunteer firefighters, as well as teams of the PE National Forests are engaged in the field. An army helicopter with a bucket with a capacity of three tons of water is involved in the air extinguishing, and if necessary, the two air tractors of the State Fire Service will also be engaged.
“Great efforts were made to bring this fire under control. This is one of the most severe forest fires this season. The goal is to prevent the fire from entering the high-quality forest of the Pelister National Park,” Angelov noted.
The PRD head pointed out that the second serious fire was the one near the village of Gradec in the municipality of Vrapchishte, where the fire engulfed a pine forest on difficult-to-access terrain.
