Rome (Italy) and parts of Albania and North Macedonia have suffered some of the worst fires so far this year.
Much of Europe is suffering high temperatures as August begins, and some countries are feeling the effects worse than others. In Rome, a large forest fire devastated the nature reserve of Monte Mario on Wednesday afternoon.
Firefighters were seen dropping water from helicopters on the fire in the mountainous area, while many residents were evacuated as the flames approached nearby buildings.
The fires were not far from the studios of the Italian public television RAI, on Teulada Street, in Rome, and just 2.5 kilometers from St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.
Not Albania, forest fires continued to burn this Wednesday. While they approached homes in the southern town of Mashkullore, they did not cause significant damage. However, in the coastal city of Shengjin, the situation was more serious.
Hundreds of Albanian firefighters, soldiers and volunteers managed to control a large fire that damaged a roof and two beach bars, causing visitors to flee in panic.
An Albanian army Cougar helicopter and two Italian Canadair planes, part of the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism, helped save the coastal town from the flames.
In the neighbor North Macedonia, a big fire devastated east of Sveti Nikola. An army helicopter and three Air Tractor planes were used to put out the fire.
In the remote village of Kokoshinje, between Sveti Nikole and Probistip, an elderly man died from smoke inhalation, after the village was hit by fire; The firefighters were able to save his wife.
The first Minister Christian Mickoski He assured the public that there are enough firefighters and members of the Army and the Ministry of the Interior to control the fires, even though they are at an all-time high.
Serbia lent two helicopters to North Macedonia to help tackle the serious forest fire spreading near the Prohor Pcinjski monastery, on the border between the two countries.
Additional sources • Voice-over: Lucía Blasco
