site.btaUPDATED Fire in Tran Area Destroys Almost Entire Village, Advances toward Serbia

The wildfire in the Tran area, in the southwestern Pernik Region, has destroyed nearly all the houses in the village of Rani Lug. The flames are advancing toward Serbia and are expected to cross the border at any moment, Pernik Regional Governor Lyudmil Veselinov told BTA around Sunday noon.

The blaze has moved entirely into the forest, and firebreaks are being created. The terrain is extremely difficult, Veselinov said. He and members of the crisis response team surveyed the affected areas. The Governor added that the only reassuring news is that there are no fatalities or injuries.

“The leadership of Tran Municipality has ensured that all volunteers and participants in the firefighting effort are provided with water and materials. No medical assistance was required for heat exhaustion or injuries caused by the fire,” Veselinov said.

He thanked the volunteers who responded and who, he said, were well prepared for action. All of them are coordinating their efforts with firefighters and the emergency rescue unit of the Municipality of Pernik.

On the ground are ten firefighting teams from all municipalities in Pernik Region, as well as one team that responded from Troyan, a rather distant town in Northern Bulgaria.

“At this stage, we have no information from the Serbian side indicating that any volunteer or firefighting teams are present,” he said.

According to the Governor, the fire started in the village of Slishovtsi and quickly spread to Rani Lug, which is the most severely affected. A large amount of agricultural equipment and outbuildings have been destroyed.

Teams from all over Pernik Region, the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior, numerous volunteers, the emergency rescue unit, forest service employees, and border police are fighting the blaze in the Tran area. Several municipal water tankers from nearby towns are also on site, Veselinov noted.

He added that they are still awaiting aerial support.

Hundreds of volunteers are working alongside firefighters to contain a large wildfire affecting three villages in the Tran region of western Bulgaria, near the Serbian border. Access to the area is restricted to trained volunteers who have undergone safety briefings, volunteer Simona Mineva told BTA.

“The sight we encountered was horrifying,” Mineva said, but she noted a positive development—several houses have been saved in one of the hardest-hit villages, Rani Lug. 

According to Mineva, volunteer teams are stationed at the edges of the villages to protect homes and cut firebreaks in case the flames advance. All residents and livestock have been evacuated, but the situation in the forest remains extremely serious. She noted that no information is available on the fate of wild animals, and the worst may still be ahead.

Volunteers are being supported with food, water, electrolytes, and ayran. Heavy machinery has also been deployed to create firebreaks inside the forest. Communication with the central command is reportedly strong, though telecommunications and electricity have been disrupted in the area due to fire damage.

Mineva confirmed that no aerial firefighting support has yet arrived.

Another volunteer, Rumyana Boyanova, reported that kilometers of forest are burning, and the winds are fueling the spread of the fire, which is now moving in the direction of the town of Tran.

She noted that the upper part of Rani Lug village has suffered the most damage. In the nearby village of Nasalevtsi, volunteers are working to protect a centuries-old oak tree, a former nominee in the “European Tree of the Year” contest. The tree’s dry trunk makes it particularly vulnerable, but volunteers have been dousing it with water. A nearby church was also successfully saved.

Svetlana Valerieva, Deputy Mayor of Tran, expressed gratitude to the people who have come from across Southwest Bulgaria to help.

Emergency crews from all over Pernik Province, including the fire service, regional police, rescue teams, forest management, and border police, are actively battling the blaze. Several municipal water trucks from neighboring towns are also on site. A partial state of emergency remains in effect, Valerieva confirmed.