site.btaBulgaria Offers to Help Greece Fight Wildfires

Bulgaria has offered to help Greece fight wildfires. In a video call Tuesday, Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov and the Greek Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Vassilis Kikilias, discussed a fire on Greek territory, which is developing near the border with Bulgaria, in a hard-to-reach area, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

"During the past night the fire did move any closer to Bulgarian territory. A large part of the fire fighters and service persons, and the equipment combating a major wildfire in Yambol region for seven days have been redeployed to the border, where the fire threatens to spread into Bulgarian territory," Stoyanov informed. Aerial firefighting equipment will also be sent there Tuesday, he added.

On behalf of Greece, Minister Vassilis Kikilias expressed gratitude to Bulgaria for the good operational cooperation that the fire services of both countries maintain. “We are fighting fires like Bulgaria. Thank you for the help the Ministry of Interior sent to Greece last year and this year," Kikilias said. Ground crews cannot reach the area where the fire is developing, but weathermen have a favourable forecast for rain.

Flames have been raging in the Slavyanka Mountain, in the border area of Bulgaria and Greece, for the third day. Firefighters from Sandanski and Gotse Delchev and forestry officials are on the spot, fighting the flames along the ridge of the mountain.