In the district of Lezha, within just two years, a total of 837 fire incidents were recorded in forests and grasslands, completely consuming around 800 hectares. Authorities acknowledge that although a significant portion of these fires are intentional, aimed at clearing land for construction or new crops, the criminal act of arson remains unpunished due to the difficulty of obtaining evidence.
Author: Gjergji Figuri
The village of Piraj in the administrative unit of Blinisht, in Lezha, was almost completely engulfed in flames during the past summer. The fire, which broke out on the afternoon of July 22 of the previous year, fueled by strong winds, ravaged vineyards, olive groves, the railroad tracks, and even posed a threat to cemeteries. Only the village church was spared from the flames.
Jak Zefi, a resident of the village of Piraj, still vividly remembers the fear they experienced from the raging flames that were consuming everything. “It was an unprecedented horror. At least the church and the cemeteries were spared, because everything else turned to ashes,” he recounts, not hiding the shock that the night of July brought upon them.
Firefighters also came to the aid of the residents, but they were unable to do much.
Every year, hundreds of fires devastate entire hectares of forests in the Municipality of Lezhë, as well as throughout the entire region, including the Municipalities of Kurbini and Mirdita. In just the years 2021 and 2022, a total of 837 fire outbreaks were recorded in this region, consuming around 1700 hectares and completely burning about 800 hectares.
Authorities acknowledge that although a considerable portion of these fires are deliberate, often set to clear land for construction or new crops, the criminal act of arson remains largely unpunished.
The municipalities and Civil Emergency units struggle with insufficient and outdated resources, while the prosecution finds it difficult to gather evidence to bring the “pyromaniacs” of the forests to justice.
“I appeal to the Director of Local Police in Lezhë and the State Police to do their utmost to identify the responsible individuals, as these are intentional acts of arson. This is a serious criminal offense. We are not only talking about damage to forests; this is a criminal act that endangers human lives and private and public property,” says Gjergj Prendi, the Prefect of Lezhë.
Arsonists evade justice
The mountain in Balldre, only 2 km away from the city of Lezhë, has been burned almost completely during the past three summers. As a result, the crown of pine trees in this area has been reduced, but the chances of the fire not recurring are minimal. Last year’s summer, the fire even endangered the houses located in the “Nënë Tereza” neighborhood of Lezhë city, as the flames got out of control, driven by strong winds. Interventions by firefighters, the army, and residents with makeshift tools helped extinguish the flames, but no investigation was conducted and no culprit was found.
The same happened in the Molungu area in Manati. The fire burned dozens of hectares of forests, and suspicions that it was an intentional arson to clear land for cultivation were not followed by investigations.
Over the last two decades, the Lezhë region has lost around 9 thousand hectares of forests due to fires. In 2005 this region had a forest area of 115,644 hectares, in 2022 the forests were reduced to 106,880 hectares.
Prime Minister Rama recently called on prosecutors and judges in the districts to responsibly enforce the law, which provides for up to 15 years of imprisonment for intentional arson. However, evidence and interviews with authorities for Investigative Network Albania show that finding evidence for this criminal act is difficult, and as a result, no one is convicted.
“Arson is a criminal act, but at least in the past four years, when thousands of hectares of forests have been burned, no one has been held accountable for this criminal responsibility,” said Gjergj Prendi, the head of Milot, during a meeting convened by the prefect of Lezhë for fire protection.
With police eyes watching, the justice system admits having difficulty identifying these “arsonists.”
“There are cases where we have arrested the perpetrators, but not all arsonists can be identified. Fires occur in remote areas, and due to the rough terrain, intervention is difficult,” says Alfred Elezi, the commanding head of the police for the Lezhë region.
The Municipality of Lezhë has a forest area of 18,070 hectares. During the years 2020-2021, the area affected by fires was 548.5 hectares, and 149.8 hectares were completely burned.
Despite the colossal damage, the number of those brought to justice is negligible. The Local Police Directorate of Lezhë reports that, for intentional arson during the years 2020-2022, a total of 15 individuals have been prosecuted; among them, only 3 have been arrested, 1 is wanted, and 11 have been processed in a free state.
All these individuals are suspected of causing fires for the criminal acts of “Destruction of Property by Fire,” “Negligent Destruction of Forests and Forest Environment by Fire,” and “Destruction of Forests and Forest Environment by Fire,” provided by articles 151, 206/a, and 206/b of the Penal Code.
Police, as one of the steps to capture the culprits, states that most of the fires occur in mountainous areas where the police are not readily present 24/7 and where there are no populated zones. This makes arson a criminal act that is difficult to prove, and the State Police cannot document the criminal act further.
“This is a criminal act that doesn’t leave traces for documenting the fact and depositing it in the prosecutor’s office. There is information, and for this reason, specific individuals are kept under surveillance. However, it will still be difficult to prove guilt,” says Pashk Pervata, the head of the Public Order Sector in DVP, Lezhë, who clarifies that they registered 6 proceedings last year.
However, the work of the police or the measures taken against suspects as deliberate arsonists in most cases are overturned by the prosecution and further by the court, which seeks to close the investigations due to a lack of evidence and witnesses to substantiate the claims.
Françesk Ganaj, the spokesperson for the Lezhë prosecution, says that in no case have individuals been reported for this criminal act. According to him, “even in cases where suspicion of intentional arson has arisen, investigations have been conducted, but later, in court, their suspension has been requested, as there were no accused individuals.”
The difficulties in the investigative process of this criminal act are also evident in the cases that go to court. In the First Instance Court in Lezhë from 2022 to the first 5 months of 2023, only one guilty verdict was given for the criminal act of “Destruction of Property by Fire,” provided by Article 15 of the Penal Code. In 2021, there were two cases for which the prosecutor himself requested the suspension of the case since it was not possible to identify possible culprits. Despite significant fires in 2022, no criminal proceedings were recorded in court, and this trend continued throughout 2023.
Authorities admit: Intentional Fires
Preç Ndoj grabbed a shovel and hurried to help the residents extinguish the fire that engulfed a large area of fruit trees in his village, Troshan, near Lezhë. The firefighters couldn’t come to their aid as they were dealing with another fire in Zejmen.
“We were the first two people to arrive and intervene. We went door to door, alerting everyone. I thank all those who came out to put out the fire with makeshift tools and helped bring it under control,” Preç Ndoj recounts.
Assisted by strong winds, the fire wreaked havoc on hundreds of hectares of cultivated land, causing colossal damage.
“Within two hours, 60 hectares of cultivated land were burned. More than 1700 different trees, including olives, figs, walnuts, and mulberries, were destroyed, everything the villagers had planted. The damage is enormous. Hopefully, God and the state will assist us in recovery,” he says.
Fires are the main reason behind the reduction of forests in Lezhë. Even the authorities admit that in most cases, we are dealing with deliberate arson, but no one is held accountable.
“It’s due to the lack of evidence presented for the individuals under investigation. This is because there are no people in the field who take care or monitor the forests,” the prosecution states officially.
“The Forestry Service remains in the office, as due to the lack of resources and insufficient staff, they are unable to continuously monitor. It is difficult to intervene due to the rugged terrain,” says Ndrek Mhillaj, head of Civil Emergencies.
Nikoll Tusha, head of the Emergency Department in the Prefecture of Lezhë, is convinced that deliberate arson is at play.
“Only in 2022, we had 388 fire outbreaks in forests and fields, some of which were very dangerous, like those in Mirditë, Mal Shëngjini, or Kurbin. Deliberate arson is the main cause of this situation, related to the opening of new fields or other actions (implying construction),” admits Nikoll Tusha, head of the Emergency Department in the Prefecture of Lezhë.
Even in the Municipality of Lezhë, they do not hesitate to talk about deliberate arson. The only solution that has come about is improving logistics, mainly firefighting gear, but this hasn’t been able to minimize the fires or help identify the perpetrators.
“Deliberate fires are a problem, more noticeable in the months of July and August. For personal interests or any kind of reason, this is a crime and should be punished to the maximum extent by the law,” says Ermal Paci, Deputy Mayor of Lezha.
“A fire that starts at 1 a.m. is not natural. When a fire breaks out without any reason, near a pond or an old house, we can’t help but think that it was caused by irresponsible individuals. Some of the fires are intentional,” emphasizes Ndrek Mhillaj, former head of Civil Emergencies in Lezha.
A ping-pong game with responsibilities
With reduced staff and overlapping responsibilities, institutions pass the blame to each other for the failure to identify the culprits. Civil Emergencies face limited resources in their fight against fires, Prefecture complains about lacking necessary tools, while local authorities, who are also the owners of the forests, feel abandoned by everyone.
With a forest area of 11,810 ha, Civil Emergencies in the Municipality of Kurbini combat fires with a 50-year-old fire truck. “We have a vehicle from 1975 and things are being done voluntarily on our part, as repairing the vehicle is not a solution,” says Paulin Lleshi, commander of Kurbini’s firefighters.
For the local government, it’s not fulfilling its “home duties,” resulting in increased costs of damages caused by fires. “Municipalities should take this situation more seriously. If there’s no road to reach the mountains, if there’s a lack of rapid intervention tools, if there are no firebreaks and the forests aren’t cleared, this goes beyond our competencies, and these municipalities aren’t appreciating this. The 154 ha of burned forests from last year are a higher cost than purchasing equipment and preventive interventions,” explains Paulin Lleshi, commander of Kurbin’s firefighters.
Problems in fire intervention capacities are also acknowledged by fire services in Mirditë. According to them, the lack of infrastructure, equipment, and sufficient personnel makes intervention more difficult; volunteers are not an option, as the most problematic areas are mountainous and mostly inhabited by elderly people.
“Fires that are far from stations spread extensively due to difficult terrain access. Fires cannot be extinguished with rudimentary equipment. In Mirditë, there are more tools than personnel, and our requests haven’t been answered by the Ministry of Interior and Finance,” says Agim Lleshi, commander of the Firefighters’ Sector in Mirditë.
The Municipality of Mirditë owns the largest forest area in the Lezhë district. It possesses 77,000 ha of forests. In 2021, a total of 1884 ha were affected by fires, and 264 ha were burned.
“Civic authorities should have structures for identification or reporting, but they’re barely active. There’s a Council of Ministers’ decision that allows for the recruitment of volunteers for firefighting, but in reality, this is barely activated,” says Nikoll Tusha, head of the Emergency Sector in the Lezhë Prefecture.
Civil Emergencies believe this is the moment to ask law enforcement authorities to be more assertive in bringing individuals to accountability, as they can’t go further with impunity and indifference towards this situation.
“It’s impossible for this situation to be resolved by a mayor or an administrator alone, as it requires a larger commitment from all actors and factors,” Tusha further explains.
Apart from the State Police, local government units are responsible for the measures. Prefect Gjergj Prendi is convinced that municipalities have the capacity to quickly identify a fire and intervene without getting caught in procedural bureaucracy.
“In fire cases, municipalities have the capacities and necessary tools to eliminate the fire’s source, because if it spreads, then it’s too late. Municipalities have the funds, structures, and necessary tools for intervention. They shouldn’t seek help without using their own capacities first, as the Prefecture doesn’t possess these structures and tools,” Prefect Prendi in a way shifts the responsibility away from the institution he leads.
Identifying and holding the perpetrators accountable is also what Haki Çako, the director of the National Civil Protection Agency, sees as necessary in this situation. He points the finger towards municipalities and asks regional councils to increase investments in this sector.
“We need to identify the culprits and place them under legal responsibility. The damage caused by the burning of 933 ha of forests is calculated in millions of euros. Municipalities should bear their responsibilities since they were voted for. Regional councils should agree and approve direct investments in civil protection,” says Haki Çako, director of the National Civil Protection Agency, reminding municipalities that they have a designated budget specifically for reducing natural disaster risks.
Nentitull: Forest fires, damages in millions of euros
Experts estimate that for the year 2022 alone in Lezhë, the economic damage caused by forest fires amounts to around 1 million euros. During that year, approximately 150 hectares of forest were burned, making it the year with the lowest burned forest area.
Forest engineer Abdulla Diku explains that the economic damage from forest fires is estimated to be 7200 euros per hectare. “If we calculate that the value of the combustible material that burns is equivalent to 20 euros/m3*50m3/ha = 1000 euros/ha, the value of ecosystem services is 10 euros/ha/year for 100 years = 1000 euros/ha, CO2 sequestration from the atmosphere is 1000 euros/ha, and the cost of soil degradation is 200 euros/ha/year, then this damage totals 7200 euros/ha,” explains the expert, Abdulla Diku.
However, a forest that burns is difficult to recover. Artan Palushi, responsible for forests in the Municipality of Lezhë, states that the loss of green biomass and fauna constitutes a colossal damage that requires time for recovery. “With the burning of forests, the entire environment is destroyed, wherever the fire occurs. The undergrowth burns along with everything it contains, as well as the habitat of wildlife and their descendants. Only the damage to the trees, created in Lezhë during 2022, amounts to about 750,000 lekë, so the responsible parties need to be found and the costs billed to them,” says Artan Palushi, responsible for forests in the Municipality of Lezhë.
Ky shkrim është pjesë e projektit që mbështetet financiarisht nga Zyra e Mardhënieve me Publikun e Ambasadës së SH.B.A. në Tiranë. Opinionet, gjetjet, konkluzionet dhe rekomandimet e shprehura janë te autor-it/ve dhe nuk përfaqesojnë domosdoshmërisht ato të Departamentit të Shtetit. / This article is part of a project that is financially supported by the Public Relations Office of the US Embassy in Tirana. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the Department of State.