The municipality of Sredets is facing a large-scale forest fire, which forced authorities to declare a state of emergency in three villages - Slivovo, Sinyo kamene, and Granitets. The mayor of the municipality, Ivan Kichev, revealed details about the situation in an exclusive interview for the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA).
In the area of these three villages, it's mainly forest that's burning. At this stage, the fire is almost contained, I can say, but nevertheless, the strong wind and high temperatures require that absolutely all measures be taken
The fight against the fire began on Friday afternoon and has been continuing for several days now. Although the situation is described as "almost contained", unfavorable weather conditions create additional challenges for firefighters and rescue teams.
Until recently, helicopters were also involved in extinguishing the fire, but they have been redirected to another fire in the Sungurlare area, which seems to have grown significantly. This has necessitated the mobilization of additional resources on the ground.
We also mobilized agricultural machinery to try to create clearings in the direction of the fire's approach. There are about six fire trucks on site
The situation remains dynamic, with the main challenges including difficult terrain and multiple smoldering hotspots. Kichev describes that the roads are difficult to access even for specialized firefighting equipment, which necessitates the use of hand sprayers in some areas.
Particularly worrying is the fact that the fire broke out simultaneously in two places in close proximity to the road to Slivovo village, just a hundred meters from the populated area. In addition, there was an incident with a house fire, which raises questions about possible arson.
If this was done intentionally, I can't imagine that there are people capable of such a thing
Local authorities and firefighters continue their intensive work to control the situation, urging residents of affected areas to remain vigilant and follow the instructions of rescue teams. An investigation into the causes of the fire will be conducted after it is fully extinguished.