The mayor of Haskovo Municipality declared a partial state of emergency on the territory of the villages of Lyubenovo, Dinevo, Malevo, Krivo Pole and Koren. The measure will be valid for a period of three days or until the circumstances that led to its introduction cease to exist. The actions are being taken in connection with the fire, which broke out on August 23 and has currently burned 10,000 acres in the lands of the aforementioned villages, the Haskovo Municipality indicates. According to the order, the Municipal Disaster Protection Plan has been put into effect.
The fight against the huge fire in Haskovo region continued all night. It broke out on Sunday afternoon not far from settlements and covered nearly 10,000 acres of area. The fire also entered the military training ground “Koren“, and a helicopter arrived on the scene. The fire started from an illegal dump in the area of the village of Dinevo. By late Sunday evening, the thick smoke was making it difficult for people in the villages to breathe.
Part of the fire fronts have already been localized. “We do not have as active a fire as on Sunday. There remains a large strip with about 3 kilometers of front to the north, which has not yet been localized“. This was stated in “Zdravej, Bulgaria” on Nova TV by the director of the OD PBZN - Haskovo Mitko Chakalov.
According to him, an additional clearing will be made today in the direction of the village of Malevo, since there are no roads in the area that would facilitate access for firefighting equipment. The military is also participating in the extinguishing. An additional larger bulldozer is expected to arrive on site to make the clearing. Volunteers and forestry employees are also involved in the work.
The cause of the fire has not yet been established. Several versions are being considered - a discarded cigarette butt, negligence with an open fire and an electric cable torn by the wind. “There will be an investigation to establish exactly what the cause is“, said Chakalov.
At the moment, there is no evidence of an immediate danger to the settlements, said Haskovo Regional Governor Todor Ivanov. He also recalled the sanctions imposed for causing fires. “The administrative fine, which is envisaged, is from 100 to 1,000 euros“, said Ivanov.
He added that, against the backdrop of the enormous resources needed to control the fire, the sanction seems relatively small. Since the beginning of the year, more than 15 people have been fined for causing fires.
A ban on certain activities in agricultural areas is in effect until September 1 by order of the Minister of Agriculture. “Every farmer must comply with it and abide by it, because if you fail to comply and create a risk of fires or cause a fire, you will see the consequences“, Todor Ivanov pointed out.
A discarded cigarette butt, negligence with an open fire and broken cables are being investigated. If guilt is proven, the fine is up to 1,000 euros.