A huge fire is burning near the village of Arbanasi. According to initial information, the flames started from a broken wire in the village of Asenovo.
Dry grass is burning in the Garga Bair area.
All available fire equipment from Veliko Tarnovo and Gorna Oryahovitsa has been sent to extinguish the disaster.
Due to the rapid spread of the fire, a helicopter is expected to arrive. The road to Veliko Tarnovo is currently closed – Gorna Oryahovitsa.
Representatives of the Civil Protection, the mayor of Tarnovo and the heads of the fire departments in the area are at the scene of the incident.
The national disaster and accident warning system BG-Alert was activated due to the fire.
According to the announcement, there is also danger in the area of the "Bozhur" hut near Gorna Oryahovitsa.
"A forest/field fire has broken out with rapid spread, aided by strong winds and high temperatures. Citizens should not cross the Veliko Tarnoov - Arbanasi - Gorna Oryahovitsa road," the announcement says.
Meanwhile, the fire near the Vidin village of Kalenik has flared up again and surrounded the village, sources told NOVA. Volunteers are on site, extinguishing the fire by hand.
The BG-ALERT early warning system for the population in case of dangerous events was activated shortly after 8:00 p.m. tonight in connection with the fires near Vidin and Veliko Tarnovo. Information about this is available on the system's website, and users on social networks also reported that they received the warning on their mobile phones.
“Danger of smoke on the roads in the Vidin region, due to fires and strong winds. Drive carefully“, the second warning message reads. It is from the Vidin regional governor and has been distributed throughout the region.
The deputy mayor of the village of Kalenik Iliyan Hristov told NOVA that the situation was subsequently brought under control.
“2-3 hours ago the fire was literally 50 meters from the village. We were 10 minutes away from the fire starting. When I saw that the element was approaching at such a speed - I sounded the siren of the city hall so that as many people as possible could gather. Thanks to volunteers who have agricultural equipment - we were able to react quite quickly. Vidin Municipality also provided a water carrier. However, there were no firefighters - because similar disasters are currently happening in other villages in the region. At least 50 volunteers gathered, including - residents of the village. We would not have been able to cope without them. Yesterday the fire was on the other side of the village and we were extinguishing it there, but today the wind was not on our side - and very quickly, literally in 15 minutes, it managed to cross to this side of the village. We are already nearing the end of the extinguishing, but we will be on alert all night so that the residents of the village of Kalenik can also be calm. The forecast predicts rain tomorrow - hopefully!“, expressed Nadezhda Hristov.
According to the regional governor Ani Harutyunyan, 9 fires are active in the territory of Vidin region. “Fire brigade teams are working on site. By my order, a message was sent through the BG-ALERT system in order to inform citizens in a timely manner. Teams from Montana and Vratsa are assisting in the actions to control the fire. I call on all residents to remain calm, follow official information and strictly follow the instructions of the institutions. Thank you to all services for the quick response and to the neighboring regions for their support!“, she wrote.
We recall that the fire, which was controlled at night, flared up again before noon on Tuesday. This was announced by the deputy mayor Iliyan Hristov. Local people gathered at the scene to help extinguish the fire.
The flames also spread towards the village of Dolni Boshnjak. A forest caught fire in a difficult-to-reach area. Fire trucks were sent to the scene.
Two fire trucks and agricultural equipment fought the fire, which broke out late last night near the Vidin villages of Kalenik, Topolovets and Tsar Petrovo. The fire was burning near the houses in Kalenik, but at that time there was no direct danger to people or property. The entry of equipment was difficult, so some of the work had to be done by hand.