At least one person has been reported dead as forest fires sweep through North Macedonia, the country's crisis management centre confirmed on Monday.
Over 41 fires were reported active on Sunday afternoon, mostly in the country’s eastern regions.
Several houses fell victim to the infernos, prompting the evacuation of villages.
Stojance Angelov, head of the North Macedonian Crisis Management Centre, confirmed the death of a resident in Kokosinje, a village near Kumanovo in the northeast.
“The fires erupted almost simultaneously, quickly spread by the wind, making them extremely challenging to extinguish,” Angelov said.
Since early July, fires have consumed thousands of hectares of vegetation in the country.
North Macedonia’s summer season is known for forest fires, with around 10,000 hectares razed in 2021 alone.
