Servicemen from the Land Forces and the Air Force with two helicopters are participating in extinguishing three major fires in the country, the press center of the Ministry of Defense (MOD) announced. These are the fires in the Sedmi Kilometer area near Stara Zagora, near Debelets in Veliko Tarnovo region, as well as over the village of Ilindentsi in Pirin.
The fire in Stara Zagora burned down 15-20 buildings, and the local authorities declared a partial state of emergency. A malfunctioning heavy truck caused the fire near Debelets.
The fight against the fire in Ilindentsi continues today. A suspect has been detained for yesterday's fire in Bulgarovo, which affected about 20 buildings.
Blagoevgrad - Ilindentsi Region
The actions to extinguish the fire above the village of Ilindentsi in Pirin continue. A total of 20 servicemen from the Third Brigade Command - Blagoevgrad with four specialized vehicles have been on the ground since early morning and, together with firefighters, forest officials and volunteers, are making efforts to extinguish the fires, the Ministry of Defense announced.
The efforts of colleagues on the ground are yielding results, but the wind yesterday managed to cause a new fire, different from the previous ones, said Chief Commissioner Nikolay Nikolov, advisor to the Minister of Interior and former director of the General Directorate “Fire Safety and Population Protection“ on bTV. He reassured that the fire is not spreading, i.e. "to crawl" towards Pirin and cover more territories. Chief Comm. Nikolov announced that about 150 firefighters and forestry workers are on the ground, as well as more than 20 fire trucks. According to him, there are few volunteers today.
Burgas Region - Bulgarovo
A man has been detained in connection with the fire that broke out yesterday in the villa area of the town of Bulgarovo in the Burgas municipality, the mayor of Bulgarovo, Konstantin Shterionov, told BTA. "I know that someone has been detained, but I cannot say for sure whether he is a local person. According to initial information, he is from the villa area," Shterionov commented. According to him, the fire was brought under control yesterday afternoon, but fire engines are still on duty at the scene today.
The fire affected about 20 buildings, most of which were summer houses. According to the mayor, about 20 percent of them were inhabited at the time of the fire. Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated in the case. An inspection of the site was carried out. The detained man is suspected of causing the fire, Shterionov also said.
Burgas - Nessebar Region
A fire is burning near the water park in Nessebar, the Regional Directorate for "Fire Safety and Population Protection" (RDPBZN) - Burgas told BTA. The signal was filed shortly after 1:00 p.m. Dry grass and bushes were burning, and one car burned completely. Initially, two fire trucks from the RSPBZN - Nessebar were sent to the scene. Due to the strong wind, the fire spread quickly, which necessitated the involvement of additional teams from Pomorie and Burgas.
There was no threat to buildings or the need for evacuation. Due to the fire, the road between Ravda and Nessebar in the direction of Burgas was closed. Cars were redirected along the internal road through Ravda, where large traffic jams formed. Later, the fire was localized, and traffic was opened in both directions.
Veliko Tarnovo - Debelets Region
A malfunctioning heavy truck caused a fire in three places in the Veliko Tarnovo region and the western entrance to Debelets. First, two outbreaks in the Debelets region were controlled and localized by the teams of the Regional Service "Fire Safety and Population Protection". Volunteers from Debelets came to the rescue, heavy tracked equipment for clearing was also involved, and water carriers were provided. The fire reached the yards of two houses in Debelets, but was extinguished, no one was injured, the press center of the Veliko Tarnovo Municipality reported.
The fire brigade teams last fought the third outbreak - in the area of Prisovskite zavove and the military plant "Terem - Ivaylo". The management of the enterprise has been notified. Due to the difficult terrain, controlling the fire is difficult, despite the efforts of the teams. In this regard, a request has been made for the involvement of a helicopter in extinguishing the fire and preventing its spread. Later, a helicopter joined the extinguishing, together with teams from Veliko Tarnovo, Gorna Oryahovitsa and Dryanovo, the municipal administration in Veliko Tarnovo reported to BTA. The Ministry of Defense added that a crew from the 24th Air Base in Krumovo took off with a "Cougar" helicopter at 2:20 p.m. to join the firefighting efforts.
The Municipality informed that the flames have also been localized in the third outbreak - in the Prisovskite zavove region. The fire brigade's on-duty teams continue to monitor the local outbreaks. According to initial data, the affected areas are over 100 acres, said Mayor Daniel Panov.
There is a suspect in the fire. According to witnesses, this is a driver who was driving a malfunctioning heavy truck. Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated.
Gabrovo Region - "Proynovtsi" district
A fire broke out in the high part of the "Proynovtsi" district in Gabrovo. A mixed forest was affected, and part of the meadow also burned. The fire broke out in the late afternoon of Sunday, according to residents of the district. The director of the Regional Directorate "Fire Safety and Population Protection", Commissioner Plamen Genchev, reported to BTA that the fire has been brought under control. A team on duty will remain on site all night, Genchev said. It is too early to talk about the cause of the fire, he commented and specified that it is still being established. The important thing is that the fire is under control and will be monitored, the commissioner said.
A second fire has also been brought under control - in the village of Donino. Outbuildings were burning there.
Stara Zagora Region - Sedmi Kilometer Area
A fire is burning in the Sedmi Kilometer area near Stara Zagora, the press center of the Regional Directorate (OD) of the Ministry of Interior - Stara Zagora reported. The signal was received minutes after 3:00 p.m. About 100 volunteers and fire brigade teams were on site. The BG-ALERT early warning system was activated. The area is on the Stara Zagora - Stara Zagora Mineral Baths road. Due to the fire, traffic was stopped on the road from Stara Zagora to the junction for the village of Pryaporets. The detour is through the village of Borilovo.
A partial state of emergency was declared due to the fire. The mayor of the municipality Zhivko Todorov explained that the fire is in a villa area with over 300 houses, of which between 15 and 20 have burned down. Thanks to the quick intervention of the police and fire teams, people have been evacuated and no one was injured. Todorov assured that there is no danger to people, and there will be teams on duty throughout the night.
Zhivko Todorov indicated that an inspection of all damage is about to be made and more detailed information will be released. According to him, any activity could be the cause of the fire, and it will be established by the investigative authorities. The road will be closed until we are sure that normal traffic can be restored, the mayor also said.
The fire is under control, but has not yet been localized, said the director of the Regional Directorate "Fire Safety and Population Protection" Senior Commissioner Stoyan Kolev. He described the fire as "difficult". 14 fire teams have been involved, all structures in the region have been urgently engaged, teams from Plovdiv and Sliven have also arrived. Two teams from Plovdiv are securing the city of Stara Zagora for possible other accidents due to a lack of teams and equipment. Kolev pointed out that all institutions were activated in record time and added that there were literally people taken out of dangerous places.
The police teams also started work immediately after the signal, said the director of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Senior Commissioner Krasimir Hristov. Some of the employees are providing traffic control in the area, others have helped with the evacuation of elderly and sick people in the area of the fire, as well as with the organization. Work is also underway to investigate the causes of the fire, and at the moment no specific data can be given. Numerous signals are being processed.
The power supply in the area has been suspended, said the secretary of the Stara Zagora Municipality Nikolay Dikov. Power will be provided as soon as it is certain that everything is safe. The partial state of emergency will be in effect for at least 24 hours.
The regional governor of Stara Zagora, Dr. Nedelcho Marinov, was also on site. He congratulated all responsible institutions for the quick response and appealed to citizens to be especially careful. Do not test the capabilities of these people, who have once again proven that they are professionals, he said.