site.btaUPDATED Two Helicopters, Servicepersons Aid Firefighting at Bulgarian-Greek Border

Air Force servicepersons with two helicopters are taking part Saturday in the fight against the fire in the area of Goleshovo (Southwest Bulgaria), said the Defence Ministry’s press centre. An Mi-17 and a Cougar were flown out this morning to assist the firefighters.

The fire has entered Bulgarian territory by about 30-40 meters, the Southwestern State Enterprise said on its Facebook page. 

A group of 22 servicepersons with five pieces of equipment from the Third Mechanized Battalion of the Third Brigade Command of Blagoevgrad, under the leadership of Senior Lieutenant Kiril Chakarov, extinguished newly ignited fires in the area between the villages of Petrovo and Goleshovo on Saturday. Third Brigade Command Deputy Commander Colonel Ruslan Kolev is on the ground to coordinate the actions of the servicepersons.

The Mi-17 helicopter took part in extinguishing the fire near the border last night as well. The machine performed five sorties, during which it poured 10 tonnes of water, the Defence Ministry said.

France is sending an airplane to help fighting the fire, the Ministry of Interior reported. The aircraft should be able to join the efforts on Tuesday, if everything goes smoothly, caretaker Minister of Interior Kalin Stoyanov said.

He added that the flames are encroaching on a part of Bulgarian territory where landmines may have been buried, which is why extinguishing the fire can be done only with aerial equipment.