Tired, sick and still on duty extinguishing fires in Kruja. Firefighter Ali Tupi shows Report TV a photo from his cell phone, showing a chest x-ray with rib injuries. He takes out his medicine from his pocket, saying that he does this job with all his heart.
-How are you feeling?
Ali Tupi: Tired.
-Just tired or even sick?
Ali Tupi: Both together.
-Have you been visited?
Ali Tupi: Yes, I made a graph.
-With all this serious health condition, how do you continue to work and remain morally high? What drives you?
Ali Tupi: You have to come to work, we will do it with heart and humanity.
-How many days do you work?
Ali Tupi: One week.
Firefighters in Kruja, despite having been battling the flames for several days, say they will not stop their work until the fires are completely extinguished.
One of the firefighters shows Report TV his blackened feet and toes, because he hasn’t taken off his shoes since the fires started.
“I haven’t slept for a week and I haven’t even taken off my shoes for several days. That’s how our job is. Other colleagues also have foot injuries,” says firefighter Eduarti.
After several fires that have occurred in the Kruja district, residents express gratitude for the hard work of firefighters and police officers.
“We are very sad, we thank the firefighters and police officers. They have no one to pay. They took us and threw us out of the house, because the situation was very bad,” says citizen Haxhi Neziri.
Since Saturday afternoon, the Kruja Mountain has been engulfed in flames. The fire spread rapidly, burning entire areas and even approaching homes. For hours, the flames threatened the homes of citizens, while firefighters, who are the heroes of these days, fought to keep them away from residential areas.
Thanks to their intervention, the apartments were saved, but when it seemed that the situation was calming down, other fires were reactivated. And so, what started on Saturday continues today, with firefighters on the ground for five days and nights.
Tired, exhausted, and sleepless for hours, they continue to fight the flames. Some of them are sick, others have suffered leg injuries, but none of them refuse to leave.
Five days and nights without sleep, firefighters in Krujë with
Altin Shullazi.
Altin Shullazi, the commander of the fire department, has recently spoken about this situation, indicating that they have not stopped for a moment for five days.
“5 days and 5 nights. We are fighting the fire in Kruja, we will not stop until it is extinguished. We are all at work,” he told Report TV, while further adding that the fatigue is great, but what still keeps them going is the connection to their city.
“We feel sorry for this city. We were born and raised in this city. We don’t want it to be destroyed,” Shullazi added.
The long days in the field have begun to take a toll on their health. Some of the firefighters have high temperatures, while others continue working despite being injured.
“Most of them have a temperature of 39-40, they are here. We will not give up until the end, until we close the last hearth of the fire,” he said, while his other colleague, Eduart, showed his blackened feet and toes. He has not even had the opportunity to take off his shoes for days.
“I haven’t slept for a week and I haven’t even taken off my shoes for a few days. That’s how our job is. Other colleagues also have foot injuries,” he says.