The August heatwave caused fires to break out across the country today, including in the main city dump in Veles.
Faced with the acrid black smoke that was affecting breathing in near-by settlements, workers had to cover up the burning waste with dirt.

And in Skopje, in the western villages of Novo Selo and Volkovo, an unregulated dump site caught fire. Locals said that they asked the municipal authorities to clean up the site many times, but nothing was done and the area is now struggling with polluted air and smoke.