site.btaTwo Men Charged over Wildfire near Stara Zagora


The Regional Prosecutor’s Office (RPO) in Stara Zagora has charged two men with causing a fire through negligence in the Sedmi Kilometar area near the city, the RPO said in a press release on Monday.
The defendants have been released on BGN 4,000 bail each. The investigation is ongoing, including witness interviews and an initial inspection of the scene. Evidence is being gathered under the supervision of an RPO prosecutor, with a fire-technical expert assessment due to be appointed. The investigation has a two-month timeframe, the press centre added.
The accused are 41-year-old A.G. and 39-year-old S.G., who allegedly started the fire on August 17 through negligence in the land around the village of Malka Vereya and the city of Stara Zagora. It was found that A.G. and S.G. had been carrying out construction and repair work in a house yard. While they were operating an angle grinder, sparks ignited nearby dry grass. Due to strong winds, the fire quickly spread to houses, outbuildings, bushes, and trees in the areas of Sedmi Kilometar, Cherniyat Most, and Boboolu, according to the RPO.
Earlier on Monday, the press office of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior in Stara Zagora reported that the two men responsible for the fire near Sedmi Kilometar had been detained for up to 24 hours.
The fire in the Sedmi Kilometar area near Stara Zagora started around 3 PM on Sunday. It erupted in a holiday home zone with more than 300 houses, of which between 15 and 20 were destroyed. Thanks to the swift response of police and firefighting teams, approximately 1,000 people were evacuated, and no injuries were reported. Fourteen fire crews from Stara Zagora, Plovdiv, and Sliven responded, along with a helicopter from the Krumovo Air Base.
A partial state of emergency was declared in connection with the fire but was lifted on Monday by Stara Zagora Municipality.
/NZ/
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