The large fire in the landfill near Gabrovo, which broke out yesterday, has already been successfully brought under control. However, active actions continue on the ground to containment of the affected areas in order to prevent the emergence of new fire outbreaks. The situation in the area remains dynamic due to heavy smoke, reported the on-site teams at 8:49 a.m. on September 7, 2026.
Chronology of the incident at the landfill
The incident report on The regional waste landfill in Gabrovo was reported at around 11:30 on Sunday. Initially, the fire covered an area of about 100 square meters, but the strong wind escalated the situation extremely quickly. Three firefighting teams from Gabrovo and Dryanovo, employees of the landfill, the Volunteer Formation of the Municipality and teams from the OP “Blagoustroyavane“ were involved in extinguishing the fire.
Heavy machinery from local construction companies from Gabrovo and Veliko Tarnovo was mobilized to contain the flames. The work on the backfilling with excavators and trucks with soil continued until 3:00 am and will resume today in order to completely isolate the smoldering masses below the surface.
Air quality and recommendations to citizens
The director of the regional depot Nikolay Stoyanov confirmed on the air of the Bulgarian National Television (bntnews.bg/news/prodalzhava-zaprastyavaneto-na-depoto-krai-gabrovo-kadeto-vchera-vaznikna-pozhar-1411251news.html) that there are currently no active open fires, but the smoke remains intense and a strong smell is felt.
The Regional Inspectorate for Environment and Water (RIOSV) - Veliko Tarnovo monitors the indicators via a mobile station. So far, there is no official data on dangerously excessive atmospheric air pollution. However, the authorities are calling on residents of nearby areas - the village of Grablevtsi, the "Mladost" district and the Northern Industrial Zone - to close their windows as a precaution and avoid prolonged outdoor stay.
In parallel with the fire at the landfill, yesterday firefighters managed to locate a second incident in the city - a flaming forest massif in the area of the "Gorni Bakoytsi" district, informs bTV Novinite (btvnovinite.bg/bulgaria/ovladeni-sa-dvata-pozhara-v-gabrovo.html).