The irresponsible play of children with firecrackers turned into a serious threat to the natural environment on August 7, when a fire broke out in Shumensko Plato Nature Park. The incident was registered near the "Fatmadzhika" fountain and the panoramic road to the "Creators of the Bulgarian State" monument.
According to the official announcement of the park administration, eyewitnesses reported how unknown children threw firecrackers into dry vegetation and quickly left the area. This act of recklessness quickly caused the fire to spread in extremely dry weather.
A large-scale rescue operation was immediately undertaken with the participation of firefighters from several settlements - Shumen, Novi Pazar, and Veliki Preslav. Employees from all forestry structures, representatives of the nature park directorate, and voluntary formations were involved in extinguishing the fire.
The critical nature of the situation was expressed in the immediate threat to the power transmission infrastructure. The fire broke out around electrical poles, which necessitated a temporary power outage in the nearby urban neighborhood.
The Regional Governor of Shumen, Katya Ivanova, extended special thanks to all participants in extinguishing the fire. "Your professionalism and coordinated actions prevented large-scale ecological and infrastructure damage," she emphasized in an official statement.
Given the continuing summer drought, the regional administration makes an urgent appeal to citizens for increased attention and compliance with fire prevention rules. It is recommended to completely refrain from lighting open fires, discarding unextinguished cigarettes, and working with equipment near forest areas.
Police teams temporarily restricted access to the monument via the highway until the fire was completely localized. Thanks to the quick and coordinated intervention, the spread of the fire was successfully prevented.