"Maritsa" Highway reopened for traffic after containment of large-scale forest fire
The Regional Administration in Haskovo announced that the "Maritsa" highway has resumed normal operation after the successful containment of a large-scale forest fire in the area. The fire, which started on Monday afternoon in the protected area of Radinchevo, spread over a vast territory, affecting the lands of several villages in the Harmanli municipality.
According to information from the regional governor Stefka Zdravkova, the fire managed to jump both the highway and the Maritsa River in places between the municipalities of Lyubimets and Harmanli. However, firefighting teams were able to bring the situation under control on the other side of the river. Zdravkova added:
The fire has been contained on the right bank of the Maritsa River, in the direction of the Harmanli village of Biser. It is currently raining heavily on site, so the forecasts for dealing with the fire are very good.
The scale of the disaster forced the Harmanli Municipality to declare a partial state of emergency yesterday. The regional governor activated the BG-Alert system with a warning of possible evacuation for the residents of Dositeevo village. By yesterday afternoon, the affected areas were about 20,000 decares, but today they have already grown to approximately 30,000 decares, including forest fund, dry grasses, and shrubs.
Significant resources were mobilized to control the situation:
- Seven fire trucks were deployed in the approaches to Dositeevo village
- Aerial equipment was also included
The Regional Administration emphasized that thanks to the extremely professional organization of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior, no incidents were allowed either on the highway or on the bypass routes.
This incident highlights the importance of rapid response and coordination between different institutions in dealing with natural disasters. It also raises questions about the need to improve preventive measures against forest fires, especially in protected areas such as the Radinchevo locality.