site.btaRila National Park Wildfire Extinguished, Teams Continue to Patrol

A wildfire in the Rila Mountains, which has been raging since August 28 in the Rila National Park, has been extinguished, Park Director Krassimir Andonov told BTA on Friday. On-duty teams continue to patrol the area since this is a forest fire which might reignite at any moment. Fire department crews and park staff are on site, the director added.

"In a week's time, something could happen there again because the fire is still burning underground. We will monitor the situation for at least a week, and even longer," Andonov said.

He added that the fire in the area of the village of Dolno Osenovo, Simitli Municipality, has affected 260 hectares, according to  measurements taken around September 6. Earlier this week there was local rain, and although the rainfall was not heavy, it helped stop the fire from spreading.