Over the past 15 years, over 7,000 forest fires have been registered in Bulgaria, covering over 1.1 million hectares of territory, according to the latest analysis by the environmental organization WWF. In 2024 alone, nearly 600 fires broke out in our country, with the Rhodope Mountains, Strandzha, Pirin and Sakar regions being particularly affected. And the financial resources needed to deal with the damage from them exceed the funds from the previous seven years combined.
„Fires are becoming increasingly intense, difficult to control and increasingly often enter protected areas. Traditionally, the fire season has two peaks - spring and summer. Recently, however, there has been a deviation from the norm. We are also witnessing a large number of fires in late autumn and even in the winter months. This trend is likely to continue in the future, given the forecasts for climate change and its impact on forest fires, warns Neli Doncheva, head of the “Forests“ program at WWF.
How do forest fires occur?
The main causes of forest fires in Bulgaria are related to human activity. Statistics show that over 90% of fires occurred after deliberate human intervention or due to negligence. According to the analysis, the following causes stand out: burning stubble and plant residues, throwing cigarette butts, careless handling of open fire, technical malfunctions in forestry and agricultural equipment and deliberate arson. Only in 2 to 4% of cases is the cause of a fire natural, most often it is a lightning strike.
According to the analysis, over 80% of all forest fires occur outside forest areas and subsequently spread into them. It is known that a large part of the fires in the plains and hilly parts of Bulgaria started in agricultural areas or pastures when stubble, dry grass or other plant residues were burned, and then spread to neighboring forest areas.
What are the damages from forest fires?
The damages from forest fires are significant both in ecological and economic terms. Direct damages to forest areas and infrastructure in the studied period are estimated at nearly 29 million leva. This amount does not include the costs allocated for the restoration of burned areas, nor the costs of the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Defense, regional administrations, municipalities and volunteers for extinguishing the fires. In practice, the losses caused by forest fires are significantly greater than the direct damage calculated by the Executive Forestry Agency.
Indirect damage related to the loss of ecosystem services, biodiversity and tourism is difficult to measure, but according to expert estimates, it exceeds 100 million leva per year. In addition, there are crop losses, numerous wild and farm animals have died, in some cases there has been damage to private property and buildings and most importantly – human lives are at risk.
“Causing a fire in forest areas is a crime under the Criminal Code, with the penalty of imprisonment and fines being more severe in cases of injured people, particularly valuable property, protected areas and other similar damage. However, in many cases, the culprits are never identified. With the growing climate challenges, forest fires in Bulgaria will become an even more serious threat if urgent measures are not taken for prevention, control and engagement of all stakeholders“, commented Dobromir Dobrinov, an expert in environmental legislation at WWF.
How can each of us help?
Over the last decade, forest fires in Bulgaria have become more frequent, more intense and affect increasingly larger territories, including protected areas. Their scale, as well as the damage they cause to nature, property and human health, require the involvement of all of us. This year, WWF is investing time, effort and expertise to help save Bulgarian nature from fires. The conservationists are joining forces with the National Association of Volunteers in the Republic of Bulgaria and are seeking financial support for the training and equipment of volunteer firefighters - non-flammable clothing, shoes, masks, specialized fire extinguishers and other supplies for extinguishing forest fires. Part of the donations will also be allocated for the rescue and rehabilitation of wild animals injured in fires at the Wildlife Rescue Center - Green Balkans in Stara Zagora.
“What we do to nature, we do to ourselves. And to the generations after us. And the price is so high that sometimes it is difficult for us to even realize it. We only feel it when it affects us personally, but then it may already be too late. The huge percentage of forest fires in Bulgaria are a consequence of human activity. They are becoming more and more numerous and larger. They destroy the home of hundreds of wild animals and always claim victims. The faster we react, the fewer victims there will be. Let us be responsible“, urges Elena Gancheva, Head of “Individual Donations“ at WWF.