Ten Fires in One Day, Two Still Active: Same Summer, Same Script

By 4 p.m. yesterday, ten fires in open areas were registered across Macedonia - eight put out, two still active. Summer once again brings the same script, and the question of whether we learned anything from past seasons goes unanswered.

The active fires were near the villages of Grchec and Shishevo in the Saraj municipality, where low vegetation and mixed forest burned, and near the village of Kalauzlija in the Radovish area, in open terrain. The other eight were put out at several locations - from Shuto Orizari and Karposh, through Petrovec, to Kichevo, Kumanovo, Negotino and Lozovo.

The Crisis Management Center appealed to citizens to be careful during outdoor activities, especially because of the high temperatures and drought that raise the risk. A piece of advice repeated every summer - but the fires repeat every summer too.

How many of these fires are natural, and how many are human carelessness or something worse? Every season the same marshlands burn, the same crews are mobilized, the same resources are spent. And prevention, clearing the terrain, and penalties for arson remain a topic talked about only once the smoke rises.