Fires, weather hazard warning as heat wave winds down in Bulgaria
More than 310 fires have been extinguished over the past 24 hours in Bulgaria as the country approaches the end of a week-long heat wave, fire-fighting authorities said.
Temperatures in the country remain higher than usual for this time of the year – a total of 43 temperature records were broken in Bulgaria on August 7, with Rousse leading the way with almost 44C. Highs on August 8 are expected to range between 33C and 38C.
This has prompted a “code orange” hazardous weather warning for 10 districts in the north and the south of the country, with the other 18 issued a “code yellow” warning.
One large forest fire continued to rage in the southwest of the country, near the village of Babyak, about 15km northeast of mountain resort Bansko. The fire had spread to more than 100ha and 400 fire-fighters, forest rangers and volunteers were working to contain it, the fire-fighting directorate of the Interior Ministry said.
There was no immediate danger to the nearby villages, but there was a risk that wind gusts would carry sparks and lead to the fire spreading.
Temperature highs, however, were expected to decline in the coming days, down to below 30C at the weekend in parts of the country. Cloud cover was expected to increase and brief thunderstorms will sweep through the country, the National Meteorology Institute said.
(Photo: Nate Brelsford/sxc.hu)
