Wildfires, government announces support package for affected residents, Minister Vengu: We’re increasing investment in renewing the air and ground fleet

Published: Thursday, 31 July 2025 17:23

The government is rolling out a support package for people affected by the recent wildfires, to help cover damages to homes, crops, and livestock.

At a coordination meeting attended by Defence Minister Pirro Vengu, Interior Minister Ervin Hoxha, Agriculture Minister Anila Denaj, and the head of the National Civil Protection Agency, Haki Çako, the discussion focused on how prepared emergency services are and how to respond to the damage, especially in the livestock sector.



Minister Vengu stated: “In July alone, we’ve had 59 large-scale wildfires, plus a number of smaller ones affecting both towns and rural areas. All in all, more than 29,000 hectares have burned.”

He said the hardest-hit areas are Vlora (17,500 ha), Dibra (4,524 ha), Tirana (2,400 ha), and Berat (1,500 ha).

“Although some previous years had more land burned, the record was in 2007 with 127,000 hectares, until 2024 we usually saw around 6 wildfires a week in the summer. This year, we’ve seen 13 per week.” - he noted.

He went on to say that a total of 14,200 personnel, 2,000 specialized vehicles, and 63 aerial operations have been mobilized across the country.

“That includes 4 helicopters from Albania, 2 from Hungary, 2 Canadair planes from Italy, 2 from Greece, and 1 from Croatia. We've never had this many air assets available at once. We’ll keep investing in upgrading our ground and air fleets. Thankfully, there’s been no loss of life. Damage was limited to 12 houses, 3 shepherd shelters, one religious building, and one power substation.” Vengu added.

He urged all affected municipalities to carry out damage assessments as quickly as possible.
Agriculture Minister Anila Denaj pointed out that the southern region, especially Delvina, had seen significant damage to livestock, beekeeping, and pastures.

“We’re currently assessing the need for emergency livestock feed in all affected areas.” she said, noting that feed had already been delivered in record time.
Interior Minister Ervin Hoxha reported that police have identified 120 individuals suspected of starting fires either deliberately or through negligence, with 21 arrests made.
All three ministers warned that August could bring further difficulties and called for ongoing vigilance and a fast response from all institutions involved.