The men who risked their lives to save people stood in front of BNT in the first minutes after the powerful explosions in the warehouses next to Elin Pelin. The rescuers shared about their duty and the hope they have that they will be able to help every victim. They also told how the deceased Associate Professor Shishkov did not separate from his daughter.
"He said in one sentence "Drive the girl to Pirogov", he didn't separate from the girl," said Georgi Georgiev, head of the RS PBZN shift.
A father's last battle - to save his daughter's life. A battle before the eyes of the firefighters, who, risking their lives, entered the dangerous terrain between explosions, falling concrete slabs and burning fireworks. Docent Shishkov entrusted his daughter to them and asked to return to the building.
He didn't want to go with us, he was kind of turning back. That's when I had to pull him to leave," said Georgi Georgiev, head of the RS PBZN shift.
"We made him hold on to the stretcher, that way he would walk parallel to us, not to fall behind", recalls Krasimir Hristov.
This is only a fragment of the memories of the firefighters who received the signal about the explosions at 6:29 p.m. They left immediately. The security guard met them and told them that the victims were near one of the entrances to the warehouses. They went there through a dirt road in the field. They left the fire department at a safe distance and, despite the powerful explosions, continued on foot. Docent Shishkov and his daughter were seen on the spot. The father was conscious and helped put the girl on a stretcher. The rescuers carried her in their arms to the ambulance that was waiting outside the dangerous perimeter.
"I have not let my emotions get the better of me. I was trying to complete my duties and evacuate people as quickly as possible," said Krasimir Hristov.
A young man with property near the warehouses also came to help. He claims that together with the firemen he reached the victims in his car. He went along a dirt road through the field, which, according to him, was not separated. It was also not protected so that the fire did not reach the first houses at the Elin Pelin station, he claims.
"Driving through the Polish road, I reach the fire. I see that there are no authorities, I move forward to see if anything is happening. Further, surprisingly, there was no further. Turning right onto the main road, together with the firemen, we found ourselves with the docent and his daughter, who were lying on the road," Kiril Todorov said.
"Nebivalites, because we were before him and saw him coming. The fact that the girl, let him remember that the girl was on a stretcher, speaks for itself that someone tried to save him", Stoyan Stoyanov - head of shift RS PBZN, is categorical.< br /> The firemen told the man to drive Associate Professor Shishkov to the ambulance and continued with the stretcher and his daughter. Others from their team during that time stopped the fire, which was about to move across the field towards the populated areas.
"The fireworks set fire to the grass, which could already catch fire in neighboring objects, in the settlement. The fellow driver started putting out the grass," said Georgi Georgiev, head of the RS PBZN shift.
In the field, time flows differently, say the firefighters, a story gathered as if in a moment - a moment of struggle, risk and hope, because for them what they did was simply a duty.