The situation with wildfires in Blagoevgrad region is serious, there is no danger for the population

The situation in the region of Blagoevgrad as a whole is quite serious, but I want to reassure that there is no danger for the settlements and the residents there, caretaker Minister of Interior Kalin Stoyanov said after the meeting of the Council of Ministers on July 31.

"Colleagues from France will be fighting the wildfire in the Maleshevska Mountainthe, and helicopters of the military on the territory of the Bulgarian-Greek border," Stoyanov said.

"Our country has made another request for assistance through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism. "We are waiting for answers, respectively confirmation from anywhere. I hope that by the end of the day we will receive confirmation from one of the EU Member States to assist in containing this grave situation."

Caretaker PM Glavchev: Wildfire situation continues to be complicated

Minister Stoyanov reiterated that work should be done to complete the equipment of the General Directorate for Fire Safety and Population Protection. He also commented on the use of the BG-Alert public warning system.

"We all see that the climate in Bulgaria is undergoing a sharp change. Unfortunately, what is happening and the use of the BG-Alert system may become quite common in the coming years," the minister further commented.

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About 110 people were evacuated from the villages of Karpelevo and Tsaparevo in the Municipality of Strumyani, Blagoevgrad district, Southwestern Bulgaria, on July 30, because of a wildfire that started in a forest between the villages of Kamenitsa and Mikrevo.

The fire started shortly after 12.00 on July30 and because of the strong wind, the fire grew within minutes and reached several other villages.

The chief secretary of the Ministry of Interior said that no houses were affected, but 20,000 acres of forests and areas were affected. 23 teams of firefighters from across the country are on site battling the blaze.

Two French planes joined the fire-fighting efforts from the air. They were initially sent to Bulgaria to help suppress a massive wildfire in the area of the Bulgarian-Greek border.