site.btaUPDATED Villages Evacuated as Wildfire Expands Rapidly in SW Bulgaria

People were evacuated from the villages of Karpelevo and Tsaparevo in the southwestern Strumyani Municipality as a fire that started in a forest between the villages of Kamenitsa and Mikrevo began to grow rapidly. The evacuation was reported on the website of Strumyani Municipality.

Blagoevgrad Regional Governor Georgi Dinev told BTA that the evacuees have been accommodated at relatives in the area and at the sports boarding house in Sandanski, where they will be provided with food.

The fire has already spread to hundreds of hectares in Malashevska Mountain, Strumyani Mayor Emil Iliev told reporters. The acting Mayor of Strumyani Municipality, Fidanka Koteva, has issued an order declaring a state of emergency on the Municipality's territory over the fire, which has spread due to the strong winds. Temporary restrictions are intrudocuded which ban the entry, movement and stay of vehicles in the vicinity of the fires, except for firefighters, rescuers and food and water suppliers. 

Two French planes joined the fire-suppression efforts from the air. They were initially sent to Bulgaria to help suppress a major wildfire in the highlights on the Bulgarian-Greek border. 

On the ground, local firefighters are getting help from the fire services of Sofia, Dupnitsa, Blagoevgrad, Sandanski and Petrich, said the Blagoevgrad Deputy Regional Governor.

The Bulgaria-Greece fire  

The perimeter of the wildfire at the Bulgarian-Greek border expanded on Monday night and spread across the firebreak, but was contained, the Southwest State Enterprise told BTA on Tuesday. All available teams were mobilized and dispatched to the fire. The two French planes continued to drop water.

On Tuesday morning, the firemen and others participating in the fire-fighting efforts were pulled out at safe distance as the fire started triggering mines in an abandoned minefield on the Greek side, said Fire Safety Directorate Head Alexander Djartov. 

He said that they are trying to put down the flames from the roads and from the air.

Blagoevgrad Regional Governor Georgi Dinev said the fire perimeter was around 1 km and was some 100 m into Bulgarian territory. He said the fire stayed closed to the surface. 

Assenovgrad fire

Eleven firefighting teams were dispatched to the 40 Springs location in the southern municipality of Assenovgrad, said the spokesman of the Plovdiv regional fire safety directorate, Tanya Kostadinova. The teams were that many because there was strong wind and it was important to put down the fire fast and keep it out of a nearby forest and settlements. The fire was localised in the afternoon.

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BTA’s local correspondents Dessislava Velkova in Blagoevgrad, Evelina Mitreva in Petrich, Hristina Georgieva in Smolyan and reporter Konstantin Kostov contributed to this story.