Firefighting Efforts in Bulgaria: Sakar Blaze Contained, New Threats Emerge

The fire near Sakar, close to Svilengrad region, has been contained on all fronts and is currently under the control of the Bulgarian fire department. One active outbreak remains in the direction of the village of Studena, with efforts ongoing to localize it. Seventeen fire department teams are on site, monitoring the situation and ready to respond if necessary. Heavy equipment is also on standby. Today, the municipality will meet to allocate 20,000 leva (10,000 euros) to affected farmers for animal fodder, as local pastures have been destroyed.

In Stara Zagora, a partial state of emergency has been declared due to a fire near the city's villa area. The fire has spread through a pine forest and burned down an uninhabited building. Two helicopters are expected to join the firefighting efforts today. Heavy machinery from Mini Maritza Iztok is being used to cut clearings to prevent the fire from spreading further. Volunteers are gathering this morning to assist the firefighters.

The condition of a volunteer injured in the Sakar fires remains serious, with 75% burns. He is currently in a clinic in Plovdiv.

Late last night, all fires near the Varna village of Sunny were extinguished. However, due to extremely high temperatures and strong winds, there remains a risk of the fires reigniting. About 1,500 decares of forest have been destroyed in this area, although no settlements are currently at risk. "We put out the outbreaks, but they reignite after us. We continue to work with the institutions that helped us yesterday, staying on the ground to monitor the situation and check all outbreaks. We hope today will be easier than the previous two days," said Chief Inspector Stoyan Stoyanov from the fire department.

Volunteers wishing to assist with extinguishing efforts should be called by mayors as needed.