site.btaPartial State of Emergency Declared in Haskovo Municipality due to Fire near Momino Village

A partial state of emergency will be declared on Friday in the Municipality of Haskovo, Southeastern Bulgaria, due to a fire that broke out on Thursday near a micro-dam near the village of Momino, said Deputy Mayor of the Haskovo Municipality Dinko Tenev. He specified that he would issue the order shortly.

The flames engulfed forest areas and agricultural land between the villages of Momino and Elena on Thursday afternoon, affecting an area of about 100 hectares. The fire also spread to piles of wood left after logging.

Five fire trucks and a bulldozer are currently at the scene, clearing a path, said Mitko Chakalov, Director of the Regional Directorate for Fire Safety and Population Protection. He added that the large fire in the Sakar Mountains, which broke out on Monday = in the protected area of Radinchevo and destroyed over 3,000 hectares in the municipalities of Harmanli and Lyubimets, is currently under control. There are isolated pockets of fire, which firefighting teams are working on, Chakalov said. 

A partial state of emergency remains in force in the municipalities of Harmanli and Lyubimets. Declaring a state of emergency in the event of a fire is important for the farmers affected, because otherwise they will not only not be compensated, but will also be fined by the Agriculture Fund, commented Haskovo Regional Governor Stefka Zdravkova.