The National Association of Volunteers in Bulgaria is undertaking a large-scale volunteer operation to address the critical fire situation in the Pirin Mountain. The Regional Coordinator Yavor Hadzhiev announced the official details about recruiting and organizing volunteer teams.

The assembly point for all willing volunteers will be positioned at the strategic junction towards the village of Ploski. The organizers have set a time range between 05:00 and 10:00 in the morning for registration and initial preparation of volunteer formations.

Extremely specific requirements for equipment and personal gear have been addressed to the participants. Fire-resistant protective clothing, helmet, protective goggles, respirator, heat-resistant gloves, and sturdy shoes are recommended. In the absence of specialized clothing, volunteers must wear long clothes made of natural materials with reflective elements.

Among the mandatory conditions is that each volunteer must carry personal food and water, and possibly additional auxiliary tools such as shovels, beaters, and sprayers. It is extremely important to strictly follow the instructions of the competent authorities, considering the real risk when extinguishing fires.

The National Association of Volunteers unites over 50 volunteer formations with different statuses - municipal structures and independent legal organizations. Financing is carried out entirely through civic donations and corporate support.

The mechanism for activating volunteer teams is regulated by a special ordinance. In the event of a fire, municipal mayors submit official requests to neighboring administrative units to mobilize volunteer formations.

In this specific case of the fire in the Ilindetsi area, volunteer formations from the Sofia Municipality, Petrich, Sandanski, Blagoevgrad, and other neighboring regions are engaged. Yavor Hadzhiev emphasized the importance of expanding the volunteer network for more effective coordination.

Statistics show that in the Blagoevgrad region, membership in the volunteer association is extremely limited - only four out of 18 formations are official members.

The fire in the Ilindetsi area occurred on July 25 around 20:42. Initially, three fire trucks with eight employees from the Regional Fire Safety and Population Protection Directorate and employees from the State Forestry were sent to the site.

Due to the rapid spread of the fire, five people were evacuated from the villa zone. On July 29, the Regional Governor Georgi Dinev activated the BG-ALERT system for emergency evacuation in the area of the village of Ploski, and over 400 people were evacuated.

Currently, two helicopters are supporting the firefighters' efforts to control the fire in the Pirin Mountain.