In the last 48 hours, dozens of dangerous wildfires are threatening local communities across the country, while civil emergency forces appeared again this August in difficulty and ill-equipped to cope with the situation.
In the village of Skënderbegas in Gramsh, where flames destroyed dozens of homes on Tuesday, a woman has just escaped, but she is sad about what she left behind.
"The planes arrived late, everything burned," she told reporters.
"When we were burned, we were scorched, these people came. I worked my whole life for that house," she complains.
Residents of the villages of Kullollas and Skënderbegas in the municipality of Gramsh found themselves surrounded by flames within a few hours and fought to save their homes and livestock, but in vain.
According to the State Police, one person lost their life and ten others were injured in the flames. The police identified the victim as the perpetrator of the arson. Meanwhile, evacuated residents are taking stock of the damage.
“We still don’t know where we are. We are scared, shocked,” said another resident. “I tried to put out the fire near the house. I don’t know what to do with the rest of the livestock I have. I have a lot of livestock up there and I don’t know what to do,” she added, noting that she was forced to flee after being taken away by the police.
The fire in the Skënderbegës administrative unit of Gramsh was one of the most dangerous, but not the only one. Ill-equipped and with major logistical shortages, Civil Emergency forces supported by the Police and the Army faced 64 fires across the country, 24 of which were still active on Wednesday.
Scorched land in the administrative unit of Skënderbegës, Gramsh. Photo: Bardha Nergjoni.
In the south of the country, the town of Delvina was engulfed in flames on Tuesday evening, forcing authorities to evacuate hospital patients. On Wednesday morning, the Ministry of Defense issued an urgent call for the evacuation of residents of the villages of Nartë and Skënderbegas in Gramsh and those of Delvina to safe areas.
The Ministry of Defense announced that there are over 10,000 forces on the ground, under the coordination of the Civil Protection Agency, while assessing that the situation is moving towards stabilization.
"The extensive firefighting operation has continued uninterrupted throughout the night, aiming to limit the perimeter of the flames near residential areas and national parks throughout the country. Three helicopters are also operating from the air in Gramsh and two others in Delvina," the Ministry stated.
But the fire emergency this August has once again brought to the surface the lack of capacity and sustainable measures to cope with the situation.
Unlike other countries in the region, the Albanian government does not have its own fleet to cope with the situation and was forced this year to borrow aircraft for the fire emergency.
According to the Ministry of Defense, 5 Black Hawk helicopters are currently operating, of which two are on loan from the United Arab Emirates, one from the Czech Republic and one from Slovakia, while the fifth helicopter belongs to the Armed Forces of Albania.
In the absence of a sustainable plan to deal with the fire situation, Prime Minister Edi Rama warned on Wednesday of harsh penalties for arsonists.
"Two extremely difficult nights, where municipal firefighting forces, Civil Emergencies, Armed Forces are facing large fires in Skënderbegas, Sojnik in Gramsh, Koshtan in Memaliaj, in Hormovë, Kodër e Lekël in Tepelena, on the border with Gjirokastra, Dhivër, Kakodhiq in Finiq, as well as in Dropull on the border with Delvina, where the danger and flames have been relentless," Rama wrote on Facebook.
"I call on all residents to be careful, to report any fires before it is too late and to follow the advice of the authorities, while for criminals who play with flames, the punishment will be maximum," he added.
Reporter.al
