Firefighting crews from neighbouring Serbia, as well as Croatia and Slovenia, have joined to put out the blazes in an EU-coordinated effort after requests by North Macedonia.
ADVERTISEMENTAt least 20 wildfires have continued to burn in parts of North Macedonia’s mountainous south, even after 10 days of a state of emergency.
Firefighting crews from neighbouring Serbia, as well as Croatia and Slovenia, have joined to put out the blazes in an EU-coordinated effort after requests for help by the government of North Macedonia.
Serta Mountain, in the region of Negotino, is recording the most widespread fire. About 700–800 hectares of pine forest are ablaze, and the fire is still not under control.
Authorities in the country have already urged people to stay indoors when possible and avoid heavy labour in the hottest hours of the day, while emergency measures announced Thursday ordered employers to keep pregnant women and people aged over 60 off work.
Construction work from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. was banned, as was keeping kindergarten classes indoors after 11 a.m.
An increase in wildfires was first reported last week, when 14 fires were registered nationwide in 24 hours.
Health officials reported a rise in calls to emergency responders due to heat-related health problems.
The extreme heat that has afflicted many southern and eastern countries this month is partly driven by a wave of hot air from North Africa.
The unusually hot weather is set to continue for a couple more days, according to Weather & Radar, with temperatures again soaring to 35–40 °C in places such as Serbia, Italy, Albania, Greece, Romania, and Bulgaria.
The World Bank warned last week that Western Balkan economies need to invest at least 33 billion euros over the next decade to protect against the effects of climate change.