FIRE BROKE OUT NEAR BULGARIA’S RILA MONASTERY

Fire broke out in the Nature park “Rila Monastery” in Southwestern Bulgaria on 24th of July. It burnt across almost 50 decares of dry grass and bushes.

There is a risk of spreading to the forest in the park.

Eighty people, including firefighters, representatives of Rila Monastery and employees from the authorities responsible for the management of state-owned forests in the region are battling to control the fire. The flames are in the alpine part of the mountain, in which vehicle access is impossible. The burning vegetation supports very high fire temperature, which increases the difficulty of extinguishing it.

A helicopter came in to fight the fire, but broke and a second helicopter is now used to tackle the flames.

The signal for the fire was reported by tourists late in the evening on 23rd of July. There is no threat for the residents and for the monastery. The cause is not known yet, but it is assumed it could be a result of human negligence.

Wildfire in another region in South Bulgaria, near the village of Dragitchevo, has been suppressed. It started on Wednesday, 22nd of July and burnt across 3,500 decares. 150 decres of forests have been destroyed.