Mountain Package/ Who burned Himara and should we buy fire extinguishers instead of €1 million for tallava?!

At dawn on September 5, after the flames endangered dozens of homes and forced residents and tourists to flee, two questions weighed on Himara: Who caused the fire and what will happen to the burned lands?

In March, the government declared 18 areas of Himara as priority territories for the development of the mountain economy. The decision includes Palasa, Dhërmi, Vuno, Himara, Piluri, Kudhësi, Qeparo, Borsh, Piqeras, Lukovë, Nivicë, Vranishti and other areas, where economic, industrial and tourist activities are allowed. The Himara-Pilur area alone covers 2,211 hectares.

The fire of September 4 spread precisely to the hills east of the city, near the “1 Maji” neighborhood, the bypass and towards the Piluri area. This territory partially coincides with areas no. 5 and no. 6 of the “Mountain Package”, which include Himara and Piluri.

Of course, this is evidence that the fire was deliberately set, but it is reason enough for authorities to publish the initial hearth, the route of the flames' spread, and an official overlay of the burned perimeter with the "Mountain Package" maps.

Only in this way can the question be answered: what will sprout or be built tomorrow on the land that was burned today?

The Law “On Forests” prohibits changing the destination of burned areas that are part of the national forest fund. This means that any future attempt to turn these territories into construction sites must face strong public and legal control. That's what the law says, but often in the country we have seen that it is “Maliqi” who decides. Do you remember how a 5-story building was built without permission a few weeks ago in Himara and everyone acted as if they had seen it for the first time?!

Almost 1 million euros of sawdust and a grain of lek for firefighters!

In addition to doubts about the burned territory, the fire also revealed the financial priorities of the Himara Municipality.

From public data consulted by Skyweb.al, it appears that during 2026, approximately 1 million euros are planned for cultural, promotional activities, concerts and spectacles.

The tender for the “Organization of annual artistic and cultural activities” alone had a fund limit of 49.5 million lekë excluding VAT, or over 516 thousand euros. The program includes 23 activities, including festivals, concerts, the “Ice Cream Festival”, the “Balloon Festival”, “Drone Art”, “Disney Land”, 3D cinema and year-end celebrations.

Over 10.2 million lekë, or more than 100 thousand euros, were foreseen for two procedures related to the opening of the tourist season. Tenders and other promotional activities bring the planned bill close to 1 million euros.

Meanwhile, to deal with the fire, vehicles and personnel from Tirana, Fieri, Vlora, Tepelena, Finiqi, Delvina, Saranda, Gjirokastra and Dropulli were dispatched to Himara. Around 460 people were involved in the operation, while Himara relied heavily on other municipalities and the Armed Forces.

For comparison, a fire truck purchased by the Municipality of Dibër in 2025 had a limit fund of around 9.2 million lekë, while a specialized fire truck for forest terrain tendered by the Municipality of Tirana costs around 313 thousand euros.

So, with approximately 1 million euros, several firefighting vehicles could be provided, including vehicles adapted to the difficult terrain of Himara.

And Himara is not a cash-strapped municipality.

According to an analysis by " Kapitali" on procurement, the municipality has planned around 130 million euros in tenders during 2026. With less than 9 thousand inhabitants, its budget is estimated at around 10 thousand euros per capita, nearly ten times more than Tirana.

No one is saying that Himara shouldn't have concerts, festivals or tourism promotion. But in a territory that burns almost every summer, fire protection cannot be left to backpack pumps and calls for help from neighboring municipalities, especially with a budget like the one managed by Vagjel Tavo, which is larger than that of many ministries.

Because after the Himara fire, it's not enough to just ask who started it, but also why one of the wealthiest municipalities needed firefighters from half the country to run to save it. /Skyweb.al

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