site.btaSix Air Force Helicopters Will Be Available for Firefighting Operations

This year the Bulgarian Air Force has provided six helicopters to be available during the fire-risk season, Chief Commissioner Alexander Dzhartov, head of the General Directorate for Fire Safety and Protection of the Population, said in a televised interview.

Last year, the number of available helicopters was up to four. According to Dzhartov, firefighting efforts can also make use of aircraft provided through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

The number of fires is still lower compared with last year. At present, there are between 100 and 150 fires per day, while during the peak period in 2025 there were between 250 and 350 daily, Dzhartov said, stressing that prevention is extremely important.

He advised that properties in populated areas should be cleared of dry vegetation before the start of the fire-risk season. Outside settlements, vegetation should be cleared down to ground level to prevent a fire that starts in a populated area from spreading beyond it, or the reverse.

Railway lines also need to be maintained and cleared. In recent years, there have been many cases of fires caused by faulty train brakes, Dzhartov explained. He recalled a case this year in the Karlovo region, where a fire with a seven-kilometre front was caused by defective brakes on a train. In 2024, there was a fire front of around 20 kilometres.

At the end of last year and the beginning of this year, relevant notifications were sent requesting the cleaning of railway right-of-way areas and attention to the technical condition of train braking systems, Chief Commissioner Dzhartov said. He noted that the past two years have been particularly difficult, with the 2025 fire season lasting more than two months.

The fire service continues to receive equipment deliveries, including drones, multitools, fire beaters, and chainsaws. "We need to acquire 84 drones; some are already available, while the rest are in the process of being delivered," Dzhartov added. Many of the drones are equipped with thermal cameras to detect smouldering hotspots.

Monitoring is crucial, he said. Last year, there were fewer than 100 fires affecting areas larger than 300 decares, compared with 133 in 2024. "With the measures we are implementing, we are significantly reducing the number of large-scale fires," he stressed.

Dzhartov congratulated his colleagues on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the establishment of civil protection service.