EVACUATIONS BEGIN IN GOJAN

The wildfire situation in Gojan, near Pukë, deteriorated on the afternoon of 20 August 2026 as strong wind pushed flames toward homes. Shkodër Prefect Holta Duda said firefighting teams had been positioned near houses to protect life, property and livestock, while evacuations had begun.

Report TV/Shqiptarja.com said in its 16:33 update that three families were expected to leave the area, with one home considered to be at serious risk. One family had been evacuated the previous evening from Gojan i Vogël, a village of roughly 30 homes. These are live figures and the number of evacuated residents may change as the operation continues.

More than 120 hectares of forest and scrub were estimated to have burned since the fire began five days earlier around Tërbun and Fushë-Lajthizë. Flames also damaged the village mill. Forty Armed Forces personnel, firefighting vehicles and aircraft were reported at the scene, with a third helicopter expected to join the response.

SEPARATE MILOT FIRE THREATENS HOMES

A separate fire was spreading rapidly through woodland in Milot. Lezhë Prefect Taulant Malshi described conditions as difficult because of the terrain and the proximity of homes.

Firefighters from Kurbin, Lezhë and Kamëz were deployed alongside aerial resources. Authorities had reported no injuries in the latest update used for this article, but the threat to buildings and homes made the situation urgent.

OTHER FIRES UNDER WATCH

A fire in Bilaj, Krujë, near the Thumanë–Kashar motorway produced smoke that complicated traffic. Another fire reactivated in Dajt, where a helicopter was deployed; no homes were reported at risk there.

Residents in affected areas should follow official instructions without delay, stay away from fire fronts and call 112 to report new danger. This is a developing situation and the information may change.

REPORTING BASIS

ON MEDIA.AL wrote this article from scratch on 20 August 2026. It is based on statements by the prefects of Shkodër and Lezhë carried by Report TV/Shqiptarja.com in a live report updated at 17:25, together with the morning report on the Pukë fire’s extent. The figures reflect the situation reported at that time and are not a final tally.