site.btaInterior Ministry Requests EU Airplanes to Battle Wildfires in Strumyani and Tran

The Ministry of the Interior has requested assistance via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, asking for four firefighting airplanes to help combat wildfires in the municipality of Strumyani and the Tran area, both in Southwestern Bulgaria. Deputy Interior Minister Toni Todorov broke the news during a briefing following a meeting of the disaster response task force at the ministry.

Todorov stated that the task force was formed under an order from the Minister of the Interior, coordinated with Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. The national disaster response plan has been activated, specifically its protocol for "major wildfires."

“A decision was made by the fire service task force and presented to the Interior Minister to activate the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which allows us to request assistance in the form of various resources from partner countries,” Todorov explained. He added that a formal request has been sent for four airplanes: two to assist with the fire in Strumyani and two for the fire near Tran. He said the Bulgarian authorities have held operational-level talks with Brussels, where the EU’s civil protection coordination centre is based.

The situation is currently most severe in Strumyani Municipality (Blagoevgrad Region), where the national fire service director Alexander Djartov is on-site as at Saturday evening.

In the Tran region, the wildfire has affected three villages, and there is a high risk of the flames spreading across the border into Serbia.

Through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Serbia has been officially informed of the risk, as has Turkiye due to a separate wildfire near Lesovo.

Regarding a fire in the coastal Burgas Region, Deputy Minister Todorov reported that more than 50 elderly people living in a care home were successfully evacuated.

There are currently around 145 active fires nationwide, he added, but there is no immediate danger to populated areas. Todorov explained that coordination has been established with the regional governors of all affected areas, and efforts are being made to contain the fires as quickly as possible. The BG Alert emergency notification system has been activated where necessary, and regional task forces have been formed.

According to Todorov, the Interior Ministry has identified cases of deliberate arson in some areas, while in others, the fires appear to have started spontaneously. As for the incidents in Strumyani and Tran, the cause of the fires has not yet been determined.