Highest Alert Issued in Southeastern Bulgaria over Wildfire Threat

A file photo dated July 30, 2014 showing a wildfire raging near the town of Montana in Northern Bulgaria. Photo by BGNES

A Code Red warning has been issued in Southeastern Bulgaria over potential wildfires on Friday, the Bulgarian Academy of Science (BAS)'s weather department has announced.

The alert is in force within several regions including Yambol, Stara Zagora, Haskovo, Sliven and Burgas, but also for three regions in Bulgaria's northeast. These are Shumen, Varna and Dobrich.

Residents and tourists are warned to stand ready to react in case a fire breaks out.

A minor warning (Code Orange) has been issued for most of Northern Bulgaria (Vidin, Montana, Pleven, Veliko Tarnovo, Ruse, Targovishte, Razgrad and Silistra) and also in the southwest (Pernik and Kyustendil).

There have been several major forest fires in Bulgaria since the year began, with damages estimated at BGN 10 M so far.

The estimates do not include the two most recent incidents in Southeastern Bulgaria. On Thursday night firefighters put out a fire north of the Sunny Beach seaside resort, and just a few days earlier a wildfire had been raging near the village of Lesovo, a checkpoint on the border with Turkey.

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