Wildfire sweeps through Kosovo
Wildfires swept across Kosovo today, leading to evacuations by Nato peacekeepers and local authorities.
Almost two dozen houses were engulfed in flames in two hamlets in Kosovo’s north-east and south-west regions, authorities said. Police evacuated the villagers but failed to save cattle from the growing flames.
Nato sent helicopters over the weekend to help firefighters and the local civil emergency force to contain the fires.
Authorities said some 11,400 acres of land had been destroyed by fire over the last two months.
Several firefighters have been injured and the force is struggling to keep up with the spreading flames because of old equipment.
High temperatures have hit the Balkans this month sparking a series of fires in the entire region.
Kosovo’s locally-elected authorities are in charge of the day-to-day running of the province, although overall authority remains with the UN administration and more than 16,000 Nato-led peacekeepers.
