site.btaUPDATED Much of Fire in Voden, around Village Contained - Interior Minister

The night passed relatively calmly in the southeastern village of Voden. Much of the fire in the village, as well as around it, has been contained, caretaker Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov told a briefing at the Interior Ministry on Thursday morning.  The situation in the settlement was grave on Wednesday, he noted. 

Stoyanov added that nearly 25 fire brigade teams, an army helicopter, volunteers and forestry officials were on the ground in the village. The requested help from Turkiye has arrived: several fire engines and equipment, he specified.

"People were evacuated by us," the Interior Minister said. He explained that there were residents who did not want to leave their homes and were forcibly evacuated.

A major fire broke out near Voden on Tuesday. It later spread to the outlying houses and made a full evacuation necessary. There have been no casualties but houses have been damaged, Minister Stoyanov said on Wednesday.

Regarding nearby villages, Stoyanov Thursday said that the gas transmission station in Gorska Polyana has been secured by fire brigade teams and the gendarmerie with water cannons.

In Bolyarovo, dozens of houses have been damaged, and part of them are uninhabited. Electricity has been restored, the Minister explained.

Interior Ministry Secretary General Dimitar Kangaldzhiev said that in 24 hours, the fire brigade units responded to 245 alerts, including 184 fires. Fires are currently burning in the regions of Plovdiv and Yambol. Several fires have been localised in the regions of Kyustendil, Haskovo and Pazardzhik.

Later on Thursday, two helicopters from the Czech Republic are to join the fire fighting in the country. Another military helicopter is also ready to join, Kangaldzhiev said.

Interior Minister adviser Nikolai Nikolov said that during the fire the electricity was shut down and there was no coverage of mobile operators on the ground. That is why the BG Alert system did not work. An analysis of how the system works in such a situation is pending, he said.

Stoyanov said the fire department has about 800 firefighting vehicles, 70% of which are about ten years old. "An analysis of what else we need - a helicopter or an aircraft for extinguishing fires - is pending," he added.