A sudden change in the weather has given a ray of hope to the firefighters, who have been fighting the devastating forest fire in the area of the village of Ilindentsi, Strumyani municipality, for the seventh day. Today, it started to drizzle over the affected territories, announced the director of the State Forestry – Strumyani, Eng. Ivan Rizov, quoted by BTA.
Although the rainfall is still light, the teams on the ground hope that the rain will intensify and last longer to help control the element.
“We need prolonged and more intense rain to extinguish the fire and give us the opportunity to limit its spread“, emphasized Rizov.
Currently, the fight against the flames is being waged on two main fronts - in the mountainous areas above the village of Ploski and in the villa area near Vlahi.
Despite the tireless efforts of between 150 and 200 people, the fire is still not under control. Yesterday, six helicopters also joined the extinguishing, and today, air support depends on weather conditions. Fortunately, there is currently no direct danger to the settlements in the area.
However, the fire has covered several thousand acres of forest massifs, and the exact size of the affected area will be established after the fire is finally brought under control. According to Eng. Rizov, this is the largest forest fire in the region since statistics have been kept.
„We pray for heavy rain – it is our greatest ally at this moment. If it rains harder, we will be able to enter the fires more easily and limit the spread to the periphery“, added the director of forestry.
The fire broke out on July 25 at 8:42 p.m., and the causes of its occurrence are still being clarified. On Tuesday, due to the fire approaching the village of Ploski, residents had to be evacuated. The situation remains dynamic, and all eyes are on the sky in the hope that the rain will intensify and help to finally control the disaster.