Who Is to Blame for the Burgas Fire? Over 30 Homes Destroyed Amid Claims of Negligence

A devastating fire swept through a villa area near the coastal city of Burgas in Bulgaria, destroying over 30 houses, buildings, and vehicles. The fire was brought under control late last night after intense efforts by firefighting teams, who remained on duty throughout the night to prevent a rekindling of the flames. While the immediate danger has been addressed, the investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, and the community is now grappling with the aftermath.

Residents like Todor Tsvetkov were left without homes. Tsvetkov recounted how the flames overtook his property: “The fire came here and then everything burned down.” With nowhere else to go, he spent the night in his car. He wasn’t the only one. Other locals in the area also remained awake, either in fear or keeping watch, due to the fire and the added complication of no running water or electricity.

Krasimira Koleva described the night as terrifying: “We didn’t sleep, we were on duty. Everything around here was burning - flames and smoke. There’s no electricity. And when there’s no electricity, there’s no water.” She and others are calling for a fire hydrant to be installed in the area, a demand that local authorities have promised to meet soon.

Regional governor Vladimir Krumov confirmed that work is already underway to formally regulate the area so that it can be classified as urbanized territory. That would allow the municipality to provide the necessary infrastructure, including water supply and fire safety measures.

The precise cause of the fire is still being determined. Authorities believe human activity is involved. Senior Commissioner Nikolay Nikolaev, director of the Burgas Fire and Rescue Service, noted that there are early indications the fire started within the villa zone itself. “We are still trying to determine exactly which yards it started from. There is information that people tried to put it out themselves before the fire crews arrived,” he said.

Unofficial reports suggest that the fire might have been sparked by the preparation of winter food in one of the yards. This isn’t the first incident in the area. Last week, a man was fined for welding on his property, which had caused a smaller blaze. If someone is found responsible for this latest fire, they could face a fine ranging between 200 and 500 leva (100 and 250 euros).

The scale of the disaster is significant. According to fire authorities, the fire spread rapidly due to dry vegetation, strong winds, and unmaintained grass in many yards. A total of ten firefighting teams were dispatched to contain the blaze, which spread across approximately 1,800 acres. Fifty-two people were evacuated from the area.

In one particularly dangerous situation, a woman and two children were trapped inside a burning house. They took shelter in the basement and called the emergency line 112. Thanks to a swift response from firefighters, all three were rescued safely.

While the fire has now been extinguished, the authorities are urging the public to exercise extreme caution. The fire risk index remains high, and open flames in outdoor areas could easily spark new fires, especially under current wind conditions.

Regional governor Krumov stated that more investigative work would be carried out to pinpoint the exact origin of the fire. “It’s difficult to identify the starting point of a fire, but in this case we believe we’ll succeed, as we have several witness accounts,” he said. All signs so far point to an open flame being the probable cause.

Sources:

• BNT
• BTA