site.btaUPDATED Air Quality within Norm after Fire at Waste Processing Plant near Plovdiv

Four firefighting teams remain at the site of Wednesday's fire in a waste processing plant in Tsaratsovo, BTA learned Thursday from Chief Commissioner Dimitar Brishimov, head of the emergency rescue squad with the regional department of Fire Safety and Civil Protection in Plovdiv. There are smouldering places inside the building, and reaching them requires dismantling the warehouse, the structural integrity of which has been compromised.

The entire warehouse of 0.25 ha has been destroyed and so has another one under construction on a similarly large area. Given the scale of the fire, the damage is minimal, Brishimov commented. The fire has burned wood, textiles, fuels, and polymers.

Data collected by the Regional Environment and Water Inspectorate in Plovdiv and a mobile automated station from Stara Zagora show that all air quality indicators were within the norm on Thursday. The Inspectorate will continue  to monitor the situation, and the mobile station will remain on site until the fire is reported fully extinguished but at least 24 hours have passed. Citizens will be informed in case of air pollution, the Inspectorate said.

Also on Thursday, the Plovdiv prosecution service said it supervises pre-trial proceedings for determining the causes of the fire in production warehouses in the village of Tsaratsovo. Investigative actions are being conducted to clarify the facts about the incident and assess the damage caused. The investigation should be finalised within two months.