site.btaWildfire Near Ilindentsi Enters Pirin National Park, Firefighting Teams Evacuated

The wildfire near the village of Ilindentsi (Southwestern Bulgaria) has entered the territory of Pirin National Park, affecting an estimated 1 – 1.5 hectares of the park, Pirin National Park Director Rosen Banenski told BTA.

He added that the fire front is currently heavily smoked, and the exact size of the affected area will be determined in the coming days once the blaze is under control. According to Banenski, the fire is spreading through difficult-to-access terrain.

The blaze is not spreading as intensely as in the early stages, Banenski said, though the situation changes rapidly and depends on many factors. The affected part of the park contains black pine and white pine forests, as well as shrub species and grassy vegetation.

Commenting on the situation, Valentin Vasilev, Director of the Fire Safety and Civil Protection Directorate of the Interior Ministry in Blagoevgrad, said that the firefighting teams battling the blaze have been evacuated. The decision was prompted by crown fire activity on one of the fire fronts, driven by strong winds, which required moving the teams to a safe zone.

The front toward Pirin National Park has been contained with the help of helicopters, Vasilev added. On the other front, however, crown fire continues. “We are currently using helicopters in an attempt to reduce the crown fire to a surface fire so that it is safe for the crews to return to work,” he explained.

According to Vasilev, once the flames return to ground level, the teams will be able to resume operations. All personnel have been withdrawn and are safe. At present, firefighting efforts are being carried out exclusively by helicopters, he stressed.