A tractor is trying to extinguish a vegetation fire near the village of Ponor, near Sofia. Photo: Nikolay Doychinov / AFP / Profimedia
Bulgaria struggles with 236 vegetation fires on Sunday while passing through a wave of heat, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, and is waiting for the support of the European Union with flames extinguishing equipment, the head of the National Fire Combating Service, Alexander Djartov said.
The fires coincide with an intense heat wave, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in several areas of the country. The Bulgarian authorities issued a red code of heat in 11 regions, including Blagoevgrad, about 100 kilometers southwest of the capital Sofia, and Iambol, southeast of the capital, where some of the most serious fires are concentrated.
The biggest fire was reported in the area of Ilindentsi village, in the Blagoevgrad district, where about 200 firefighters supported by the army try to count the flames. The fire intensified there during the night and forced the evacuation of the emergency teams, while the strong wind expanded the flames to the north. There is no immediate danger to the population at present, but thousands of hectares of forest have been affected.
The second fire as an extension, which takes place on about 100 hectares, is located in the village of Rani Lug, in the Pernik district, 50 kilometers west of Sofia.
The flames arrived there in inhabited areas, where the population evacuation was resorted, without registering victims.
The third largest fire, about 50 hectares, is near Lesovo, in the Iambol district, near the border with Turkey. Turkish authorities have sent aid to help extinguish the fire.
In the north of the country, near the city of Russian, on the Danube, another similar -magnificent fire threatens an army's ammunition deposit, causing the authorities to worry.
