Fire at Bobov Dol Thermal Power Plant: Large-scale coal and straw burning under control

A large-scale fire caused serious tension in the coal mining area around the Bobov Dol Thermal Power Plant yesterday afternoon, with the incident covering a significant area of the power plant's storage facilities.

Initial data indicate that the burning area amounts to about 30 decares out of the total 100 decares of storage space. The fire engulfed large quantities of straw and coal piles, and affected cargo wagons used for transporting raw materials.

The immediate response of the fire services was extremely professional. The Regional Fire Safety and Population Protection Service in Kyustendil confirmed that the signal was received at exactly 16:06. Seven fire trucks from Kyustendil, Bobov Dol, and Dupnitsa were immediately mobilized, with two additional fire teams on site at the power plant.

The environmental risk was carefully monitored through a mobile automatic station located in the neighboring village of Golemo Selo. Experts from the Executive Environment Agency conducted continuous air monitoring and did not register any exceedances of the normative values.

Eng. Chavdar Stoynev, CEO of Bobov Dol Thermal Power Plant, admitted that high temperatures posed challenges in terms of fire prevention. Management announced that on Monday they will form a working group of technical specialists to propose additional protective measures.

Police officers confirmed that the atmospheric air is within normal limits and there is no danger to either the power plant or nearby settlements. On-duty firefighters worked continuously throughout the night until the fire was completely extinguished.

The Ministry of Interior statistics show the scale of challenges faced by rescue services - from 00:00 to 18:00 they responded to 109 fire reports in the country.

The management of Bobov Dol Thermal Power Plant assured that they are taking urgent measures to restore full production capacity and guarantee the energy system's security.