Efforts Hampered as Fire Crosses from Greece to Bulgaria

Last night, the fire situation at the Bulgaria-Greece border worsened again due to strong winds. The fire has once again spread to Bulgarian territory.

"The current situation is quite complicated. During the night, strong winds from Greek territory moved the fire to two more locations. It also breached the 15-meter firebreak we had constructed. Unfortunately, the efforts from the Greek side are not helping us feel any calmer," said on BNT Plamen Poyukov, director of State Forestry-Katuntsi.

Yesterday, ground teams from Greece were also deployed, but they halted operations after hearing a thunderclap, suspecting it was an exploded grenade. Poyukov described the situation as extremely complicated at this stage.

"The fire is already 200 meters into our territory. Considering that the perimeter covers about 2 kilometers, roughly 600 decares, we can confirm that the fire is in our territory," Poyukov said.

Poyukov assured there is no danger to people living near the border, expressing confidence that the fire will not reach homes. The main challenges in extinguishing the fire are the inaccessibility and rugged terrain of the area. He estimated that the fire would likely be extinguished within two days but warned that the problem persists as the fire continues to rage on the Greek side. Once the French assistance leaves, the situation might revert.

Teams on both sides of the border have struggled with the flames for over ten days. Due to the danger of mines in the area, the fire is being fought only from the air. Two French planes joined the efforts last night and will continue to assist for the next two days. So far, there have been no issues with refilling the planes with water.

Meanwhile, North Macedonia is battling over 40 fires, with 15 igniting in a single day and spreading rapidly due to strong winds, affecting 12 villages, according to BTA.

Stoyanche Angelov from the Crisis Management Center (CMC) stated that the army and police helicopters, along with Skopje's two specialized planes, were not particularly effective in extinguishing the fires. The CMC plans to use machinery to create clearings to halt the fire's progression.

In the Kumanovo village of Kokoshine, an elderly man died from smoke inhalation in his burning house, though his wife was successfully evacuated. Several houses have burned in the villages of Kumanovo, Staro Nagorichane, Staro Karaorman in Stip municipality, and Novo Selo, near the Bulgarian border.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!