Efforts Intensify as New Fire Outbreak Crosses from Greece to Bulgaria

A new outbreak of the significant fire in the Greek part of the Slavyanka mountain has crossed into Bulgarian territory, expanding the fire's perimeter on the Bulgarian side, report BNR and BNT.

Another transfer of the fire from Greece has opened a new perimeter of about 1,200 decares. Heavy bulldozers have already started creating wide clearings to limit the fire's spread, according to Plamen Poyukov, the director of forestry in Katuntsi. For BNR he stated, "The situation worsened - 1 km from the western front, where they had limited the perimeter with a firebreak, a new fire entered from the Greek side in a territory with fast-burning junipers. From today, we distribute all available resources on two fronts."

The fires have been localized in several areas, including the Blagoevgrad village of Senokos, Kyustendil's Tsarvaritsa, and the Perni village of Chuipetlovo. Firefighters with equipment and forest officials are on duty at these outbreaks. There is also a team on duty under Mount Sharalia, in the Pirin National Park, where the fire spread has been contained, but smoldering outbreaks remain within the perimeter, which is challenging due to the rugged terrain.

Near the villages of Tsarvaritsa and Ilia in the Nevestino municipality, Kyustendil district, fire service employees, the Southwest State Enterprise, the Regional Directorate of Forestry, soldiers, and volunteers continue to combat the fire, which has been localized on four sides. Over the past night, duty teams remained on the scene. The fire has covered about 1,000 decares, including 500 decares of forest and some agricultural land.

In the east and north, the fire is low-lying but has affected a large area in the "Ali botush" bioreserve. Today, firefighters, forest...