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The investigative show brought other testimonies from the villages of Gramsh, of residents who survived the flames, but lost all their possessions.
Fiks Fare continued to denounce the predicted situation of fires during the summer in Albania, where hundreds of square kilometers have burned from south to north.
The investigative show brought other testimonies from the villages of Gramsh, of residents who survived the flames, but lost all their possessions.
Meanwhile, another group of Fiksi also traveled to the Delvina area, which was one of the most affected. The balance was catastrophic for properties, but fortunately without loss of life. The balance of damage is over 60 km² of destroyed land. The entire outskirts of Delvina have been burned. Forests flattened. Olive and fruit trees burned.
Fiksi also traveled to several villages in Delvina. The fire has burned down a large part of the village of Senica. Thousands of olive trees, centuries-old but also young, fruit trees or vineyards, were burned down. Llambi Nika, the headman of the village of Senica, said that the terrain was very difficult and the flames spread quickly. "We did everything we could here. Fortunately, there were no losses of life, but there was great damage. Several abandoned houses were burned down. The fire also burned down the centuries-old church," he claims.
The fire also went to the village of Kopaçëz. Again, plantations with burnt fruit trees. Burnt olive trees. Fortunately, the houses in the village were not burned!
But does the local government have the capacity to cope with fires?!
For almost 10 years, the fire brigade fleet has been handed over to the municipalities, which must supplement it with personnel and equipment. Fiksi went to the Delvina Fire Station. This station operates with an old fire engine from the 1960s and a vehicle from the 1990s. The fire chief says that he has never experienced a fire of that size and that they did their utmost to minimize the damage. Fiksi asked him if the station copes with fire situations, while he says that the older vehicle, the one from the 1960s, is more effective in the mountains.
"Thank goodness we have it and maintain it. It holds more water and is more flexible for hills," he says. He adds that the 1990s vehicle was bought last year, but it doesn't hold much water. "We definitely need new vehicles, some 4X4 vehicle for first aid," he says.
The situation was warned, but no one took measures for the fleet!
The summer fires of 2025 burned about 2% of the total area of Albania. One of the causes was the delay in the first intervention or even from the air. Fiks Fare has warned several times about the degradation of the firefighting fleet.
In an observation made by Fiksi in 2024, it turned out that in most of the stations there were old vehicles, starting from the '60s-'70s, depreciated and destroyed buildings. Dozens of vehicles were in service, while others had cracked water tanks. But, in addition to the fleet, the stations were also alarming. Unreconstructed, damp, old or even cracked furnishings, endangering the lives of the personnel.
Have the stations and vehicles been repaired in the last 12 months?!
During the fire situation, the government promised to purchase two firefighting aircraft, which are already in production. According to an observation by Fiks Fare at the Public Procurement Agency, no tender has yet been opened to purchase aircraft.
The Ministry of Defense, or the National Civil Protection Agency, have not yet specified how they will purchase these aircraft, while so far they have spent 7.2 million dollars to rent two satellites to monitor the territory of Albania. Fiksi researched the tenders of other municipalities, which are in a state of emergency. Very little has been tendered and invested in fire stations, even in the most problematic municipalities!
The Municipality of Has has opened a tender to purchase 2 4 X 4 fire engines, with a budget of around 100 thousand euros. The tender has failed several times. The vehicles have not yet arrived at the station.
In 2024, Fiksi filmed at the fire station in Shijak, where the fire truck being used was leaking water! This municipality has allocated an amount of 100 thousand euros for the purchase of a fire truck.
Meanwhile, one of the municipalities affected by the fires was Himara. This municipality has allocated an amount of 41 million lek for the purchase of complete firefighting vehicles and 1 fire truck. The municipality has also opened a tender worth 16 thousand euros for uniforms.
While some other municipalities have purchased them and are holding tenders to purchase them, the Municipality of Vlora, which has been affected several times by fires in the hills, but also in the waste field, plans to purchase a new fire engine. The fund it has allocated is about 30 million lek. The documents have not yet been prepared.
The Municipality of Mat has allocated around 11 thousand euros for equipment for the fire station. On the other hand, Saranda finalized the tender for the purchase of fire-resistant uniforms in January 2025, with a fund of 40 thousand euros.
Lezha, without a fire station, spends 1,200 euros on equipment!
According to documents researched by Fiks Fare, the Municipality of Librazhd has spent around 70 thousand euros on a fire truck. However, the Municipality of Lezha, which does not have a proper station, has the least amount of money for its firefighters. This municipality has spent around 1,200 euros on furnishing equipment for the station.
Gjirokastra has made a tender in April 2025 worth 110 thousand euros for the purchase of a fire engine. The winner has not yet been announced! The Municipality of Lushnja, which has a degraded fire station, has also opened a tender for a new vehicle, worth 50 thousand euros.
Fiksi filmed the degraded Belshi station last year. Without a building and no vehicles. This municipality opened a tender in the summer of 2025 worth 72 thousand euros for a new vehicle, a tender which it canceled a few weeks later, because there were no bids. They continue to operate with a vehicle from the '60s.
The Municipality of Elbasan has also opened a tender for a new fire engine worth around 200 thousand euros. The Municipality of Durrës has allocated 83 thousand euros for a new engine, following problems with the ladder truck that was seized by SPAK. The same municipality spent 15 thousand euros on tires.
At the height of the fires, in August 2025, the Municipality of Përmet opened a procedure for the purchase of a fire engine, worth around 100 thousand euros. It has not yet been finalized.
A tender worth around 1 million euros has also been made by the Centralized Purchasing Operator, with the object of "Purchase of fire engines and Pick Up service vehicles for the Albanian National Emergency Management Agency".
The same operator has spent around 350 thousand euros on the tender with the object "fire extinguisher sets, various rescue equipment for the fire station and service vehicles"./Fiks Fare
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