site.btaEMCO Depot Fires Not Spreading, Interior Minister Demerdzhiev Says

Isolated fires following Friday night's explosions at EMCO's ammunition depots near Gorni Varpishta are not spreading, Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev said on Saturday.

Demerdzhiev spoke to journalists in Tsareva Livada, Gabrovo Region, during a visit following the fire at the depots in Dryanovo Municipality. He said the Special Counterterrorism Operations Directorate was expected to determine whether it was safe to enter the site and extinguish the fires.

Only one depot had caught fire, Demerdzhiev said. The other depots were not at risk, and there was no danger of the fire spreading beyond the site.

The fires were being closely monitored by drone, and measures had been taken to prevent them from spreading, Demerdzhiev said. BG Alert had been activated on Friday night, but no evacuation had been necessary, he added. The incident had left far less debris than the August 10 explosions at EMCO's depot in Belitsa. The depot at Gorni Varpishta held far less ammunition and there had been far fewer explosions. The building was only partly damaged, he said.

Every possible cause would be investigated, as in the ongoing inquiry into the earlier explosion, Demerdzhiev said.

Gabrovo District Prosecutor Tihomir Petkov said witnesses had been questioned about Friday night's explosions and the scene would be examined once it was safe. A pre-trial investigation had been opened immediately after the incident. Investigators were awaiting the competent authorities' assessment of when they could safely enter the premises and examine the scene, he added.

Two security guards were at the site when the incident occurred, Petkov said.

The findings of the highly complex expert examinations commissioned after the August 10 explosions at EMCO's ammunition depot in Belitsa were still pending, Petkov said. No hypotheses had been ruled out or confirmed, he added. Investigators were working directly with the State Agency for National Security (SANS) to establish the causes. Asked about the stocks in the depots, Petkov said the ammunition was being held in storage and was not awaiting export.

Also at the scene were Acting Interior Ministry Chief Secretary Lyubomir Nikolov, Fire Safety and Civil Protection General Directorate Director Chief Commissioner Aleksandar Dzhartov and EMCO Belitsa Production Unit Director Slavcho Dimiev. Gabrovo Regional Governor Kristina Sidorova was also present.