site.btaUPDATED Interior Minister Stoyanov: Fire Service Responded to 1,766 Alerts between July 8 and 14

The units of the Fire Safety and Population Protection Directorate have responded to 1,733 alerts from July 8 to July 14, 1,409 fires were extinguished, of which 1,142 with direct material damage. Some 274 rescue and auxiliary operations were carried out, said Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov during a hearing in the National Assembly on the situation with fires in the country.

From January 1 to July 16, firefighting units handled a total of 25,739 accidents. Compared with the like period of 2023, they are by 3,000 more, Stoyanov said.

Currently a fire in the area of the village of Otets Paisievo, Plovdiv Region, is still not under control, Stoyanov said, adding that several units have been dispatched to the scene and one of the two military helicopters will be redirected there, while the other will take part in efforts to extinguish fires on the territory of Yambol region.

Multiple units have been sent to extinguish another fire, in the area of the municipalities of Nevestino and Kocherinovo. It has not yet been put out, as the flames are in a difficult to reach area. 

The Minister reported that on July 11, according to data of the Republic of North Macedonia a fire broke out in the Belasitsa mountain, about 5 km from the border with Bulgaria. On July 13, the fire spread across the border into Bulgaria, but teams managed to extinguish it. On Tuesday evening the fire was extinguished on Bulgarian territory but is still burning in North Macedonia. "I spoke several times with North Macedonia’s Interior Minister and we have identified joint actions," Stoyanov said, adding that Bulgarian teams are ready to provide assistance.

The Interior Minister recalled that a procedure under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated, to which the Czech Republic has responded. Two helicopters and teams of people are expected to arrive on Wednesday.

Kalin Stoyanov said that there are several procedures at different stages for the acquisition of equipment by the General Directorate of Fire Safety and Population Protection. At the moment, personal protection kits have been delivered, as well as equipment for firefighting in open areas, and more cars have been delivered, as well as light, medium and heavy class firefighting vehicles. Procedures are underway to replenish the machinery and equipment, Stoyanov said.

According to him, the use of helicopters in heavy fires works best and at the moment the purchase of helicopters for the fire service is being considered.