After the fiery day: What is the situation with the fires in Bulgaria

After the tense day and night, in which several large fires broke out in different places in the country, the situation is gradually calming down. The most serious outbreaks were near the Gurkovo village of Dimovtsi, in a warehouse of the weapons company "EMKO" near Gorni Varpishta, as well as in the Rila region. A fire alarm was also reported in the Bankya area.

The fire near Dimovtsi remains under observation
The largest fire in the last two days is the one near the village of Dimovtsi, Gurkovo municipality. The fire has affected about 2,000 acres of forest territory, with strong winds seriously complicating the work of firefighters, military personnel, forest officials and volunteers. Two military helicopters were also involved in the operation.
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bTV News
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During the night, the residents of Dimovtsi were put on alert for evacuation after the wind changed direction and the fire began to move towards the settlement. In the end, no evacuation was necessary. Shortly before midnight, it started to rain, which helped the firefighters and significantly calmed the situation.
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bTV News

By morning, the village was protected, but the teams remained on the ground due to the danger of new outbreaks, especially in the ravines and hard-to-reach areas. The fire department continues to patrol and monitor the area.
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bTV News

„EMKO“: The fire is under control, the investigation begins
The other serious incident exploded at around 23:00 on September 11 in warehouse No. 12 of the ammunition and explosives storage facility “Gorni Varpishta“ of “EMKO“ near Dryanovo. The fire was followed by an explosion, and the area was cordoned off. No one was injured.
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Prosecutor's Office of Bulgaria

According to the latest data, the situation in the area is now calm. The rain that fell during the night helped to eliminate the smoldering fires. The road in the area is open, but the perimeter around the storage facility remains cordoned off, and citizens are urged to avoid the area due to possible dangers.
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bTV News

Today, the investigating authorities are to begin an inspection of the site. The prosecutor's office indicates that the cause of the fire has not yet been established. Expertise will be ordered, documentation will be requested for warehouse and the materials stored there, as well as information about their movement.
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Prosecutor's Office of Bulgaria

„EMKO“ defined the incident as another case in a series of attacks against the Bulgarian defense industry and stated that the specific warehouse had not been used for months. The company suspects sabotage. However, this is a version, not an established cause of the incident. The investigation by the prosecutor's office is ongoing and all possible versions are yet to be verified.
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BNT News
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The state is inspecting all ammunition warehouses
After the second serious incident at an „EMKO“ facility in just about a month, Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev announced that an inspection of all ammunition warehouses in the country would be carried out.

According to him, both the condition of the warehouses and and storage conditions, as well as measures for their protection. The ministry is also checking whether there is a connection between the current case and previous incidents.
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BNR News
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President Iliyana Yotova also said that she is considering convening the National Security Advisory Council due to the increasing number of explosions in ammunition warehouses.
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President.bg

The fire in Rila is under control
A fire also broke out in the Tsarev Peak area in Rila, on the administrative border between the Blagoevgrad and Kyustendil districts. According to preliminary data, the fire broke out after lightning near forest areas, and the strong wind made extinguishing difficult.

A military helicopter “Cougar“ was also involved in the operation. As of September 12, the fire was under control, with teams remaining on place due to separate internal outbreaks.
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Tribune.bg
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Fire also near Bankya
Amid the large outbreaks, a fire was also reported in the Bankya area. Dry grass and bushes were burning, and forest officials were sent to the scene to limit the spread of the fire to the nearby pine forest.
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Ministry of Agriculture and Food

What's next
At this point, there is no information about people dying or injured in the fires near Dimovtsi and in the “EMKO“ warehouse. The most serious challenge remains the fire near Dimovtsi, where the terrain continues to be monitored for new outbreaks.

The real work of the investigators is ahead in the Gorni Varpishta area. The cause of the fire and the subsequent explosion has not yet been established, and the authorities must also clarify whether there is a connection between the current incident and the previous fire at the “EMKO“ site near the village of Belitsa.

After the series of incidents in recent weeks, the issue is no longer just about the specific fire, but also about the security of ammunition depots and control over strategic defense industry sites in Bulgaria.