site.btaFires Continue to Ravage Bulgaria

As of Saturday evening, the wildfire situation in the country remained difficult. Authorities continued their efforts to extinguish a fire in the area of ​​the village of Goleshovo in the mountain Slavyanka on the Bulgarian-Greek border and in the village of Senokos, Simitli Municipality.

Fires were burning in the Pirin and Vitosha mountains, as well as in Nevestino Municipality, Kyustendil region.

Firefighters, military personnel, foresters and volunteers participated in extinguishing the fires. Military helicopters were aslo involved.

The fire in Strumyani Municipality has been contained, and the state of emergency in the area was lifted. Residents of the villages of Karpelevo and Tsaparevo, who were evacuated due to the fire in Maleshevska Mountain, have returned to their homes.

Blagoevgrad Region

A fire broke out in the area of ​​Mount Sinanitsa in the Pirin mountains, Pirin National Park Director Rosen Banenski told BTA. The fire was caused by lightning that fell under Mount Sharalia, at an altitude of more than 2,200 metres above sea level. There are two park employees on site monitoring the situation. The terrain there is extremely difficult.

Earlier on Saturday, the Blagovegrad Regional Administration provided information on  three major fires in Blagoevgrad, indicating that the fire near the village of Senokos near Simitli was contained on one side, the fire in the Strumyani Municipality was also contained, and the people evacuated from two villages in the municipality have already returned to their homes. The situation on  the Bulgarian-Greek border in Slavyanka mountain continues to be complicated.

Dobrich Region

A fire ravaged 150 hectares of forest near the village of Loznitsa, General Toshevo Municipality near the border with Romania. As of Saturday evening, the fire has been extinguished. There were still some smoldering areas, but forest officials and firefighters on duty patrolled to prevent re-ignition. About 150 hectares of corn and sunflower were saved from the fires, forest officials said.

Kyustendil Region

A fire ignited near the villages of Ilia and Tsarvaritsa. The director of the fire station in Kyustendil, Svetoslav Georgiev, told BTA  that the fire was localized in two directions, but it was still spredaing in two other directions. About 100 hectares of forest have been affected. Georgiev specified that the fire was extremely dynamic and in a high-mountainous and difficult-to-access terrain. More than 10 teams of firefighters and forest officials were involved in the efforts to put it out, as well as two military helicopters.

Pernik Region

A fire broke out in a hard-to-reach area in the Vitosha mountain above the Pernik village of Chuipetlovo, the press center of the Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry in Pernik informed BTA. Due to the complexity of the terrain, six firefighters and ten forest officials began efforts to extinguish the fire, and later a military helicopter was also involved.