Several countries in Southeast Europe are battling wildfires as a heatwave continues to grip the region. 

The Balkan peninsula is particularly vulnerable to climate change, and has already seen a growing number of extreme weather events including devastating floods as well as heatwaves. 

In North Macedonia temperatures have soared to 43 degrees Celsius, igniting wildfires across the country. The central region of Negotino is particularly hard-hit. Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski announced on 14 July that the government is actively coordinating with several friendly nations for assistance in combating the fires.

"Help will soon arrive from Slovenia, Turkey, Serbia and Montenegro," Mickoski shared in a Facebook post.

For the sixth consecutive day, fires continue to rage on Mount Serta, which has split into three separate blazes, according to bne IntelliNews’ correspondent in Skopje. Hundreds of soldiers, firefighters, police officers and local residents, supported by helicopters and air tractors, are relentlessly battling the flames. On the morning on July 15, firefighting aircraft from Turkey, the first country to respond to North Macedonia's call for help, arrived to assist with efforts on Mount Serta and Mount Ogražden.

The large wildfire in the Negotino region is spreading towards the Krivolak military training ground, affecting the municipalities of Negotino, Konche and Shtip. 

The mountainous region of Ogražden in Strumica, close to the Bulgarian border, is also ablaze. The rugged terrain poses significant challenges to firefighting efforts, and the situation remains critical.

Stojanche Angelov, director of the Crisis Management Center, confirmed that additional international aid, including more aircraft, is being arranged to support the firefighting operations. He announced on July 15 that one helicopter and two air tractors from Turkey have arrived to bolster efforts. These Turkish air tractors, alongside two from the Directorate for Protection and Rescue (DZS), will join the firefight in the Municipality of Novo Selo near the Bulgarian border on Mount Ogražden. The Turkish helicopter will augment the current fleet of police and army helicopters tackling the fire on Mount Serta.

In response to the escalating crisis, the government has declared a state of emergency. A complete ban on movement in forests and forest lands managed by state company National Forests has been instituted, effective from 15 July. This prohibition will remain in place from 06:00 to 20:00 daily until the risk of forest fires decreases. Violators of this ban will face fines ranging from €1,500 to €2,000.

Bulgaria declares partial state of disaster

Across the border in Bulgaria, the heatwave spreading across Balkans also caused dangerous wildfires on July 12 and the authorities have been struggling to extinguish them, declaring a partial state of disaster.

The fires started at Bulgaria’s border with North Macedonia and spread quickly in several forested areas.

On July 14, the civil protection service asked the army for help as the areas are hard to get to. In the village of Gornoseltsi, ten houses burned, with just a few of them inhabited. Several roads to villages are closed because of the fires.

The continuous hot weather, combined with strong winds, is spreading the fires and, apart from 15 teams of firefighters and the army, several municipalities had to ask for help from volunteers.

A code red and code orange were issued across Bulgaria due to the continuous high temperature, which, according to experts, remains the highest for the last 100 years.

Bulgaria’s Electricity System Operator has projected that the country’s all-time record for electricity consumption of three years ago is expected to be broken on the evening of July 18, when the heat is expected to lead to consumption of over 5300 MW of electricity for cooling.

Along with North Macedonia, Bosnia & Herzegovina’s Republika Srpska also appealed to Serbia on July 15 for help to tackle a significant blaze near Gacko in the south, close to the border with Montenegro, Reuters reported. 

International support for Albania 

Albania was also battling wildfires in the southern district of Dropull last week. As well as the heatwave, the fires were exacerbated by strong winds, and firefighting efforts have been hindered by a lack of equipment and difficult access to the remote mountainous areas.

In response, Albanian authorities sought assistance from the European Union to combat the wildfires in the southern region.

On July 10, the European Commission announced that, following Albania's request through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, Greece dispatched four planes to aid in fighting the fires in the Dropull municipality. 

Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said: “Wildfires know no borders. The EU has mobilised firefighting airplanes from Greece to support the local first responders in Albania in their fight against the wildfires. We stand ready to further support Albania if needed.”

While the situation has since improved, the EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre said it continues to closely monitor the fires in case additional support is required.

As heatwaves and wildfires become increasingly common, this summer, the European Commission has organised a fleet of aircraft and pre-positioned firefighters across Europe. A total of 556 firefighters from 12 countries have been strategically placed in key locations, including France, Greece, Portugal and Spain, ready to assist local fire brigades.