site.btaFire in Rila National Park Contained, Another Blaze near Yakoruda

A fire in Rila National Park spread across about 15 decares and was brought under control, the Directorate General Fire Safety and Civil Protection told BTA on Friday.

Firefighters, staff of the Rila National Park Directorate, forestry officials and volunteers were working on site to extinguish the blaze.

The fire broke out on Thursday afternoon above the Simitli village of Gorno Osenovo. The mayor’s office in the nearby village of Dolno Osenovo said the blaze was spreading in a hard-to-reach area at over 1,800 m above sea level. The authorities said the fire was far from residential areas and holiday homes.

Three teams from Simitli State Forestry were involved in the effort, Director Blagoy Kishev told BTA. He noted that the fire had spread overnight due to strong winds in the area. The flames engulfed dry grass and trees in the alpine zone of Rila.

Thirty people were deployed on the ground, including park employees, firefighters from Blagoevgrad and foresters from Simitli. Their efforts were focused on containing the blaze and preventing it from spreading to larger forested areas, the Rila National Park Directorate said.

On Thursday another fire broke out in an area near Yakoruda. Firefighting was continuing there and the situation was calm at present, Mayor Mehmed Vaklyov told BTA.

The Directorate General Fire Safety and Civil Protection said the fire near Yakoruda had covered about 50 hectares.