site.btaNo Wildfire Danger to Settlements in Bulgaria, Says Interior Minister’s Adviser

There is currently no threat to populated areas due to the ongoing wildfires in the country, said Nikolay Nikolov, Adviser to the Interior Minister and former head of the Fire Safety Directorate, speaking in Ilindentsi, Southwestern Bulgaria. According to him, three of the fires pose a more serious risk to forests.

The first fire, near Sredets in Southeastern Bulgaria, has been contained, and work is underway to extinguish it completely. The second blaze is in Sungurlare, also in the southeast, where the affected area exceeds 1,600 hectares. One of the fire fronts there has been brought under control, while efforts continue to tackle the remaining active front.

More than 160 people are working to contain and extinguish the third major fire, in the Pirin area near Ilindentsi. “Their efforts have clearly paid off, and at present, only two hotspots continue to cause difficulties for forestry workers, military personnel, firefighters, and volunteers. I hope that by tomorrow [Tuesday] the situation will have improved even further,” Nikolov explained.

Valentin Vasilev, Director of the Fire Safety and Civil Protection Directorate of the Interior Ministry in Blagoevgrad, reported that in order to deploy forces and equipment more effectively, firefighting efforts near Ilindentsi will begin early on Tuesday morning. He noted that the terrain in the area is difficult to access.

Vasilev added that aerial firefighting assistance was provided on Monday and is expected again on Tuesday. “Here in Pirin, the weather conditions are different. On the ground, we mainly use handheld firefighting tools. The other crucial resource is aerial equipment – two planes and a helicopter. We also use a 500-600-meter hose line from a high-pressure pump truck to douse the fire fronts that we have contained by creating firebreaks,” he explained.

He confirmed that the fire is spreading close to Pirin National Park. “There is a possibility that it may have entered the park, but we need to carry out precise measurements to determine whether the fire has crossed into its territory,” the Blagoevgrad fire chief said. He also clarified that the wildfire is not spreading uncontrollably at present. It is currently a low-intensity ground fire, burning dry grass and leaf litter.