There is no danger for people in the Ardino municipality, said the director of the General Directorate “Fire Safety and Population Protection“ Chief Commissioner Alexander Dzhartov on bTV.
Six villages in the Ardino municipality are again without a road connection due to the rising Arda River and the flooding of the bridge to the village of Kitnitsa.
The facility, which is part of the republican road network, is the only road connection for the villages of Rusalsko, Lyubino, Latinka, Avramovo, Pesnopoy and Spoluka. The bridge was flooded as a result of the heavy rainfall that fell on the territory of the municipality.
“There are still isolated settlements. In practice, access through this bridge, which is flooded, has not been restored. We expect that in the next few hours, provided there is no precipitation - it is not raining at the moment - it will gradually fall to the water level, so that it becomes passable“, Dzhartov pointed out.
He added that there is a police team on site, so that vehicles are not allowed to enter and anyone gets hurt.
According to Dzhartov, the bridge itself is in a very low part of the river and it is impossible not to be flooded at higher waters. This happens relatively often - at least twice a year this bridge floods, said the director of the General Directorate “Fire Safety and Population Protection“.
According to information from the GDPBZN, no people were injured as a result of the recent rainfall. “We have no data on affected citizens. Our help has not been requested. Water and electricity supply are ensured and there is no immediate danger to citizens“, said Dzhartov. The BG-Alert system did not have to be activated either. “There is no danger to the people there“, added Chief Commissioner Alexander Dzhartov.
According to him, despite the declared yellow code, 15 signals were received during the day, mainly for flooded sites in Pernik and Kyustendil. “There are no people in danger”, specified Dzhartov.
In response to a question about the fires since the beginning of the year, Dzhartov indicated that there are fires every day, and today there are 35. According to him, since the beginning of the year the number of fires is around 2,000, compared to over 1,700 for the same period last year. “This means an increase of over 20%“, he added.
A significant part of the dead are elderly, disabled and people living alone, who do not always use working heating appliances, and store flammable materials near them“, he pointed out. Cases in which a fire is caused by an unextinguished cigarette are not uncommon, Dzhartov added.
According to him, modern materials in homes also increase the risk - furniture, curtains and furnishings are increasingly made of synthetic materials, they ignite more easily and emit much more smoke when burning.
Among the frequent causes of accidents are uncleaned chimneys. “They have not been cleaned for years. Around New Year there was a strong wind, in strong wind conditions are created for more intense burning and the soot ignites, said Chief Commissioner Dzhartov. He added that construction defects are often found. Mainly, people are the source of these severe fires, he added.
Usually, people with lower financial capabilities are the most vulnerable group in disasters, said in response to a question the director of the General Directorate “Fire Safety and Population Protection“ Chief Commissioner Alexander Dzhartov.
According to him, overloading of electrical installations is also a problem. “When overheating starts, a characteristic smell is felt. If excessive temperature is felt, the devices must be turned off immediately“, said Dzhartov. According to him, heating appliances should be plugged directly into the sockets, not through power strips.
Chargers should not be left plugged in unattended, including at night.
According to him, preventive initiatives are being implemented jointly with the local authorities and social services, but they are not enough. “Local smoke detectors are extremely useful, which emit a loud, irritating sound signal so that neighbors can understand that there is such a case, at least in the first minutes, “, he said.