The District Prosecutor's Office in Gabrovo took over the leadership of the pre-trial proceedings for the powerful fire and subsequent explosions in the ammunition warehouse of the arms company “EMKO“ near Dnyanovo. The incident, which occurred late in the evening of September 11 in the land of the village of Gorni Varpishta, activated emergency security measures by the state and provoked serious political reactions. The management of “EMKO“ came out with an official position, according to which the events are no exception to the series of sabotages against the Bulgarian defense industry in recent years.
Chronology of the incident and actions of the institutions
The first signal of the fire was given at around 23:04 on Friday evening, and shortly afterwards a series of loud detonations were heard in the area. The fire engulfed a storage facility for ammunition and explosives. Thanks to the quick evacuation of the two security guards at the site, no citizens were killed or injured. Residents of nearby settlements, including Tsareva Livada, Donino and Bochukovtsi, were warned through the national BG-ALERT system, although there was no real danger to the population due to the remoteness of the site.
As of 16:15 on September 12, the situation was completely under control, and the fire was localized and prevented from spreading to neighboring forest areas. The area remains cordoned off by officers of the Specialized Counter-Terrorism Unit (SCTU) for safety reasons. Investigative teams are about to conduct a detailed inspection of the scene, and eyewitnesses have already been interviewed and full documentation of the stored materials is required.
„EMKO“: This is part of a series of sabotages
The arms company reacted sharply to the incident. According to company representatives quoted in official reports, the incident in Gorni Vrpishta is the latest in a long chain of deliberate attacks against the Bulgarian military-industrial complex. The incident occurred just a month after similar explosions at another base of “EMKO“ near Belitsa, and the chronology also includes previous unsolved explosions in warehouses near Karnobat and Lovnidol. The company's manager, Slavcho Dimiev, emphasized to the media that such events represent a direct attack on the national interest.
The state announced mass inspections
The Minister of Internal Affairs Ivan Demerdzhiev and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Lyubomir Nikolov urgently arrived on the scene to coordinate the investigation. Minister Demerdzhiev was categorical that a full inspection of absolutely every ammunition warehouse in the country would be carried out. He pointed out that there is a neglect of security and security conditions by the owners of such sites, and therefore the state will intervene with firm measures. Amid the escalating tension, President Iliana Yotova announced that the convening of a National Security Advisory Council (NSAC) is being considered.