Fire broke out at a waste processing plant near Plovdiv

A large fire broke out near Bulgaria’s second largest city of Plovdiv, Southern Bulgaria, on July 31. A waste processing plant near the village of Tsaratsovo is on fire. Smoke can be seen from kilometres away, including from the Trakia motorway.

There is a road haulage company for international shipments near the enterprise. Three trucks were burnt near the warehouse of the company.

12 fire fighting teams have joined the extinguishing. 6 water trucks were also sent by the Plovdiv municipality.

Plovdiv District Governor Hristina Yancheva arrived on the scene and reported that the fire was burning in the waste processing workshop. The fire was reported at 19.20 by workers who were on the site.

Tractors made fire breaks around the area of the fire to prevent it from spreading to the nearby village of Tsaratsovo. Residents reported that there was no smoke in the village and all was calm

The smoke rose high and headed towards Pazardzhik. A team of the Specialised Operational Activities sector took air measurements along the plume of smoke's path but reported no dangerous concentrations, the fire fighting department in Plovdiv said. A mobile air quality measurement station will be sent at a later stage.

According to eyewitness accounts, there were 13 trucks in the depot next to the workshop, three of which were burned. According to unconfirmed information, they were taken out of the parking lot.

The area around the fire in the industrial zone of the village of Tsaratsovo has been cordoned off by police patrols who will remain there overnight. Traffic of vehicles is suspended until the firefighting teams complete their actions.

An inspection is expected to be carried out tomorrow to clarify the causes of the blaze and the extent of material damage, police said.