One dead in North Macedonia wildfires

One person died Monday as dozens of wildfires rage in North Macedonia, authorities said, with thousands of hectares of forest engulfed since early July.

More than 41 wildfires were recorded as of Monday afternoon, mainly across eastern parts of the country.

The fires have reached 12 villages already deserted, destroying several houses, while populated villages have been evacuated by the authorities.

The director of the country’s Crisis Management Center, Stojance Angelov, said a male resident of Kokosinje, near the northern town of Kumanovo, had died.

“The way the fires started, almost at the same time and the way they spread because of the wind, made them very hard to extinguish,” Angelov said.

Wildfires have erupted across North Macedonia since the beginning of July, prompting the government to declare a crisis situation.

Summers in North Macedonia are regularly disrupted by wildfires, with blazes in 2021 destroying around 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) of forest. (BSS/AFP)