site.btaAgriculture Ministry Warns of Increased Number of Wildfires in 2024

In the first half of 2024, a total of 164 wildfires have been recorded, which is 48 more than the same period in 2023. The blazes have affected 1,400 hectares of forest, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Miroslav Marinov said at the official opening of the education and information campaign of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Executive Forests Agency on forest fire protection.

The event took place in a children's centre on the territory of Vitosha Nature Park.

Marinov specified that in 2023, a total of 612 fires occurred, affecting about 7,700 hectares of forest areas.

According to him, the vegetation that has grown up from the rains will create a great danger of forest fires when drought occurs. After a forest fire occurs, the authorities give the forest three years to recover naturally. "If there is not a sufficient amount of new vegetation, we replant native species," the deputy minister explained.

“This year we expect a slightly stronger peak of forest fires compared to last year, as we have had two-thirds more fires so far,” Executive Forests Agency director Stoyan Toshev said. He explained that annually about 2,000 hectares of area are reforested.

The forests are located in hard-to-reach and rugged terrains, which further complicates firefighting operations, he added, pointing out that the campaign aims to prevent such disasters.

More than 60 children attended the event. Forest educators organized games for the children, who learned how to prevent a forest fire, under what conditions a fire is lit in the forest and other useful knowledge.

"Forest educators are introducing children to forest ecosystems, the species that inhabit forests, the processes that take place in them, as well as our forestry profession in a n interactive fun way and accessible language to the general public," Executive Forests Agency deputy director and forest educator Anna Petrakieva told BTA. 

The campaign will take place during the most fire-hazardous period of the year - the months of July, August and September, on the territory of 15 regional centers in the country. In the form of entertaining games, children will learn about the rules of fire safety, as well as the damage that fire causes to nature, the Agency said.