site.btaUPDATED Partial State of Emergency Declared in Harmanli Municipality Due to Wildfire

Harmanli Mayor Mariya Kirkova has declared a partial state of emergency due to the spreading wildfire in the area between the villages of Dositeevo and Kolarovo (South Central Bulgaria), the Municipality announced on its website on Tuesday. The flames are being fueled by shifting winds. The situation is changing very quickly. The fire is moving towards the village of Dositeevo. A large part of the Radinchevo protected area has been affected.

The municipal administration also reported that 13 fire trucks are on site, as well as heavy chain equipment used to clear paths. Over 60 firefighters are battling the blaze, along with municipal employees, Madzharovo State Forestry Enterprise staff, and farmers with equipment.

The fire broke out on Monday.

Haskovo's Regional Governor, Stefka Zdravkova, activated the BG-Alert emergency alert system due to a possible evacuation of the village of Dositeevo, the local administration's press centre announced. The fire is dangerously close to the village.

“We have deployed seven fire engines above the village where the fire is,” Senior Commissioner Mitko Chakalov, Director of the Haskovo Regional Directorate for Fire Safety and Civil Protection said.

The Haskovo Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry announced they had sufficient police forces to assist an evacuation, if necessary.

Air Force personnel with two Cougar helicopters are assisting in extinguishing fires in the municipalities of Strumyani and Harmanli, according to the press centre of the Ministry of Defence.

Two firefighting airplanes and a helicopter, provided to Bulgaria by Sweden, also joined efforts to extinguish the wildfire near Harmanli region, Haskovo Regional Governor Stefka Zdravkova told BTA on-site. The airplanes each made two passes, refuelling from the Ivaylovgrad Dam, while the helicopter completed four to five runs, which made significant progress in the fight against the flames, Zdravkova added.