TIRANA, Albania (Tirana Times) , August 13,2025— Fierce wildfires swept across Albania this week, killing one person, injuring at least 10 and forcing mass evacuations from southern towns to central mountain villages, as much of the Mediterranean battles deadly blazes fueled by extreme summer heat.
Authorities said more than 10,000 firefighters, soldiers, police officers and volunteers were deployed to contain dozens of blazes that flared in high temperatures and strong winds. As of Wednesday, the Civil Protection Agency reported 64 separate fire outbreaks nationwide, with 24 still active.
The worst damage was in the southern municipality of Delvinë, where flames tore through the Kasapaj neighborhood overnight, destroying homes and prompting the evacuation of the local hospital. In the central district of Gramsh, fires consumed parts of Skënderbegas and Sojnik, burning dozens of houses and killing livestock.
“We worked all our lives for these homes. Everything is gone,” one resident told reporters. Another evacuee said she was forced to abandon her cattle when police ordered her to leave.
Police said the only confirmed fatality was a man suspected of starting the Gramsh fire. Officials have not released further details.
Fires were also active along the Delvinë–Finiq corridor, the slopes of Mali i Gjerë toward Gjirokastër, forested canyons in Dibër, olive groves near Berat and Skrapar, and hillsides on Tirana’s outskirts, including the Bërzhitë–Ibë ridge. In Korçë’s Gërmenj area, firefighting crews were slowed by unexploded munitions from past conflicts.
Five helicopters — two on loan from the United Arab Emirates, one from the Czech Republic, one from Slovakia, and one belonging to the Albanian Armed Forces — flew water drops over Gramsh and Delvinë, though rugged terrain and poor road access hampered ground operations. Albania has no dedicated water-scooping aircraft and must request aerial support from foreign partners each summer.
Prime Minister Edi Rama praised emergency crews for working through two “extremely difficult nights” and warned of “maximum penalties” for anyone caught setting fires. “The flames have been relentless,” he wrote on Facebook, urging residents to report any new outbreaks immediately.
Opposition leader Sali Berisha accused Rama’s government of gross negligence and called him “the main person responsible for this catastrophe,” claiming state resources were ill-prepared for a predictable seasonal threat.
The crisis comes as much of the Mediterranean endures one of its most destructive fire seasons in years. Since June, more than 65,000 people have been forced from their homes across Turkey, Greece, Spain, Italy, France, Cyprus and Bulgaria, where record heat and prolonged drought — worsened by climate change — have made firefighting harder. At least 24 people have died, including firefighters and rescue workers.
In Turkey’s Izmir province, over 50,000 people were evacuated in recent weeks. Fires in Greece have scorched multiple islands and mainland regions, triggering evacuations of tourists and locals from Chios, Crete, Attica, Evia, Kythira and Messenia. Spain has seen high-intensity blazes in Castile y León, Galicia and Madrid, killing a volunteer firefighter. Even Italy’s Mount Vesuvius National Park was partly cleared of visitors as flames approached.
Albanian officials have not released a nationwide damage estimate, but local authorities in several districts reported hundreds of hectares of farmland, orchards and forest burned. With high temperatures forecast to persist, officials warned of flare-ups in already scorched zones and urged people to avoid any activity that could spark new fires.
“This crisis shows once again that we are fighting with courage but without enough tools,” a firefighter in Gramsh said. “Until that changes, August will always be dangerous in Albania.”
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