Bombs from the First World War are intensifying the fire in Galicica. Across Macedonia, 49 fires have been recorded, 12 of which remain active. The most significant active fires are in Galicica, where two separate fires are burning, as well as a fire near Makedonski Brod above the village of Belica. Kiril Petsakov, the mayor of Ohrid, informed Sloboden Pechat that the fire on the Ohrid side is currently under control and does not pose a threat to populated areas.

“The fire on Mount Galichica from the Macedonian side has been brought under control and there is no danger to the populated areas and the population that gravitates to this move. At the moment, around 120 people are involved in extinguishing the fire on the ground, and they are operating with two helicopters from the side of Ohrid and from the side of Prespa. “It is expected that during the day, three more planes will be activated for extinguishing from the air,” Petsakov said.

According to Petsakov, the situation on the Prespa side of Galichica is more dangerous because explosive devices and antiquated weapons are still lying around.

“The situation with the fire on the Prespa side is more specific, where it has covered denser and higher-stemmed vegetation and extinguishing it is difficult. Extinguishing from the ground is also difficult due to the fact that there are unremoved old weapons and explosive devices on this terrain, which explode when the fire hits. During yesterday alone, more than 40 explosions were heard. We hope and believe that during today’s day the fire will be localized and that it will be prevented from spreading further”, says Petsakov.

The mayor of Ohrid expressed gratitude to everyone who bravely put out the fire and made a plea to the public to avoid inciting unwarranted fear, to disseminate accurate information, and to only enlighten them through reliable sources.

For a full month, it is impossible to put out the fires at Porecchiete in addition to Galichitsa. The locals grew accustomed to the smoke, and according to Zharko Ristevski, mayor of Makedonski Brod, there are currently five fires burning nearby.