New forest fire erupts near Bulgaria’s border with Turkey
A new large-scale bush fire erupted near the Bulgarian town of Svilengrad close to the Turkish border, covering about 1500ha, public broadcaster Bulgarian National Television (BNT) said on August 27 2013.
The fire appears to have re-ignited on the site of another blaze, which spread to more than 2000ha last week, only hours after fire-fighters ended their watch over the area, on August 26.
The fire appeared to be spreading from the village of Studena, where it covered agricultural land, deciduous forests and grassland, and the village of Dervishka Mogila, where a coniferous forest was on fire, the report said.
About 70 fire-fighters with 17 fire engines were deployed, including teams from the Haskovo, Kurdjali, Stara Zagora and Plovdiv districts. Military personnel and volunteers joined the efforts to extinguish the blaze, with a military helicopter commandeered as well, but the flames continued to spread on August 27, BNT said.
There was currently no danger to any villages in the area, the report said.
(Photo: Rodolfo Belloli)
