Firefighters Battle Wildfires Amid Heatwave in Balkans and Greece

Firefighters in North Macedonia and the Balkans are combating multiple wildfires fueled by high temperatures and dry conditions. Challenges are heightened by heavy winds and parched vegetation, contributing to widespread fires in Greece, Albania, and Spain. Various nations have offered aid to manage the crisis.

Firefighters in North Macedonia battled numerous wildfires fanned by heavy winds for a third consecutive day on Wednesday. High temperatures and dry conditions have also fueled smaller blazes across Greece and the Balkans, officials reported.

One major fire advanced in Negrevo, near the Bulgarian border, while another spread around Kumanovo near Serbia, according to Goran Stojanovski from North Macedonia's crisis management center. 'Because of the high temperatures, the vegetation is dry and the soil is very hot, which is making our work more difficult,' he noted.

Meanwhile, Greece continues to struggle with wildfires cause by elevated temperatures and sporadic rainfall, a trend linked to climate change. Additional blazes erupted further north in the Balkans after weeks of intense heat and minimal rain.

In Spain, firefighters are also contending with wildfires amid severe heat. Smoke covered roads, fields, and houses near Stip, 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of North Macedonia's capital, Skopje. Damage assessment remains unclear, but earlier fires this week destroyed dozens of homes and claimed the life of an elderly man.

Despite efforts, 12 out of 66 active fires in North Macedonia were still uncontrolled by Wednesday. Serbia has provided a helicopter for assistance, while Germany and the Czech Republic have offered aircraft support.

In Albania, fires forced the evacuation of the coastal tourist town of Shengjin on Tuesday. Although fires continued to burn on Wednesday, they appeared manageable according to a Reuters witness.

In Croatia, a blaze near the coastal town of Tucepi was contained, as confirmed by a local official to N1 TV. At the Greece-Bulgaria border, firefighters relied on aerial support to combat flames due to inaccessible terrain riddled with land mines from past conflicts, explained Greek fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis. Authorities have used diggers to create firebreak zones around villages.

(With inputs from agencies.)