Wildfires in Albania force evacuations

Albanian authorities evacuated residents and tourists from fire-hit areas this week as wildfires spread across parts of the country during a broader heatwave in southern and eastern Europe. Reuters reported on August 5 that firefighters were battling a major blaze in Mallakastër in southern Albania after about 15 families were moved to safety with their livestock and pets. By August 6, Albania’s Defence Ministry said 28 wildfires had been reported in the previous 24 hours and five remained active. ### Which parts of Albania were hit first? Mallakastër in southern Albania was one of the first areas identified in international reporting this week. Reuters said on August 5 that emergency services were fighting a wildfire there as temperatures climbed across the region. Albanian Daily News reported that the blaze in the village of Rriban forced the evacuation of 15 families after flames moved toward residential areas. (usnews.com) Rriban and Ngraçan were still listed on August 6 among the places where crews were working to isolate fires, according to RTSH, citing the Defence Ministry. RTSH said four families had been temporarily evacuated there for safety reasons. ### What do officials say is driving the fires? The Albanian Daily News said strong winds helped intensify the Rriban blaze after it reached pine tree canopies. Reuters linked the Albania fires to the same heatwave that pushed Austria to a record 41.2 degrees Celsius and put major Italian cities under red heat alerts. (usnews.com) (rtsh.al) The European Commission says any country affected by wildfires can request firefighting help through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. That framework has been used repeatedly this summer as heat and dry conditions have raised fire risk across southern Europe. ### How large is the firefighting response? The Albanian Defence Ministry said on August 6 that 64 firefighting vehicles, 631 operational personnel, 90 Armed Forces members, three helicopters and one Air Force Air Tractor aircraft were involved in the national response. (albaniandailynews.com) The ministry said the National Civil Protection Agency, local authorities and the Armed Forces were coordinating operations. Mount Dajti near Tirana, parts of Elbasan County and villages in Mallakastër were among the active zones listed by RTSH. (civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu) Authorities said some fires had been brought under control or isolated, while monitoring continued in other areas. ### Were tourists affected, or only residents? The available official Albania updates focus mainly on residents, families and local communities rather than giving a national count of tourists moved from danger zones. (rtsh.al) The user-provided briefing and wider heatwave reporting indicate tourists were among those affected in fire-hit areas, but the clearest verified figures in current reporting are the evacuations of families in Mallakastër and nearby villages. Southern Europe’s summer travel season has overlapped with repeated wildfire emergencies. Travel Daily News reported that Albania was among several countries that had sought outside assistance in recent weeks as fires threatened both inland and coastal areas. ### How does Albania fit into the wider Europe heatwave? (usnews.com) Reuters reported on August 5 that France and Spain had already been hit hard by wildfires in recent weeks, while the heatwave’s focus shifted east toward Italy, Austria, Hungary and the Balkans. ABC reported on August 6 that record-breaking heat, drought and fires were affecting Greece and Albania as the system moved across the region. (traveldailynews.com) Albania’s next updates are likely to come from the Defence Ministry, RTSH and the National Civil Protection Agency, which were still reporting active fires and ongoing deployments on August 6. (rtsh.al) (usnews.com)