Fireworks Depot near Sofia on Fire, Two Severely Injured

A fireworks depot, located in close proximity to the road connecting the town of Elin Pelin and the village of Gara Elin Pelin near Sofia, has caught fire, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday. A series of explosions took place in the depot which consist of six warehouses. The alert for the burning warehouses was sent at 6.30 p.m. on Thursday.

Two employees, a male and a female, have been severely injured and transported to the Pirogov Emergency Hospital in Sofia, Ekaterina Sungarska of the Emergency Service Centre in Sofia told BTA. Both have third-degree burns, which is a life-threatening condition, she added.

A total of five ambulances have been sent to the scene of the accident, as there might be more people injured. Fire brigade teams have also been dispatched. Armoured trucks, water trucks and a mobile air quality monitoring station have been dispatched later Thursday night. А bomb squad and servicemen have also been sent.

There is an increased police presence in the area of the village of Gara Elin Pelin.

Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev has sent three Sofia Municipality emergency teams to the scene of the fire.

Road traffic between Elin Pelin and the village of Gara Elin Pelin has been temporarily restricted. The nearby railway line is also temporarily closed.

Kristina Dimitrova of the Elin Pelin municipal administration service told BTA that a partial state of disaster has been declared following the fire.

Caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev visited the fire. He assured that the situation is under control and there is no need to panic. Glavchev added that an army armored vehicle has also been dispatched to penetrate further into the fire area.

On the other hand, caretaker Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov, who also visited the scene, along with Interior Ministry Secretary General Dimitar Kangaldzhiev, said that the situation is difficult. The explosions and fire have engulfed six warehouses full of fireworks. The firefighters managed to get out two workers who had third-degree burns and have been hospitalised. There is also unsubstantiated information that there are two more people somewhere in the complex of warehouses. However, it is yet unclear if there is one or two persons inside, as the communication is difficult, there is no data on their exact whereabouts, Stoyanov explained.

Hours later, again commenting on the situation, Minister Stoyanov said that even at this stage there is no one to provide sufficient information on the exact number of people trapped in the warehouses. He explained that the only survivors who could give details on what happened were a security guard who is not in adequate condition due to the accident, the injured man, who is in life-threatening condition in the Pirogov Emergency Hospital, and the injured woman, a daughter of his, also hospitalised in Pirogov with some 85% total body surface area burns that are incompatible with life.

Stoyanov added that the owner of the burning complex had arrived at the scene, with one of the people trapped inside believed to be his 22-year-old son. According to the Interior Minister, the accident occurred after working hours. There is information that people have come to the fireworks depot to pick up pyrotechnic equipment for an event, and something went wrong during its transportation from the main warehouse.

An evacuation of the residents of the village of Gara Elin Pelin has begun, the Interior Minister added. There are locals who refuse to abandon their homes, so they are forcibly removed by police teams. Underscoring the seriousness of the situation, Stoyanov noted that the logistics base of a large food chain which is located some 700 to 800 metres from the fireworks warehouses, has caught fire after one of the explosions.

Earlier, Elin Pelin Mayor Ivaylo Stoyanov said there was no need to evacuate local residents.

Following an order of Labour and Social Policy Minister Ivaylo Ivanov, an organisation has been made so that the Centre for Human Resource Development and Regional Initiatives can shelter the evacuated residents of Gara Elin Pelin if necessary, the Ministry said in a press release late on Thursday.

Interior Ministry Secretary General Kangaldzhiev said that, according to preliminary data, one of the warehouses where the fire broke out contained fireworks' materials equivalent to some two tonnes of TNT.

The head of the General Directorate National Police, Chief Commissioner Atanas Ilkov, said that there were explosives in the warehouses used to produce fireworks. An inspection was conducted in the industrial complex some three months ago and no irregularities have been found, he added.

By order of acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov, four investigators of the National Investigation Service and an investigator of the Sofia Regional Investigation Service took over the investigation of the warehouses that exploded and caught fire.

The inspections will commence once the explosions stop and the fire is extinguished.

/VE/