Heating Crisis Continues in Some Sofia Neighborhoods

A number of neighborhoods remain cut off the heating grid for days in Bulgaria, capital after technical faults, amid controversy over what caused the breakdown.

Lyulin (4-5) and Nadezhda (3-6) are affected after successive breakdowns over the past 24 hours.

Eastern neighborhoods such as Mladost, Studentski Grad, Vitosha, Darvenitsa, Musagenitsa and Malinova Dolina initially saw a renewal of supply after losing access over the weekend.

But Sofia's heating utility Toplofikatsiya said supplies would have to be halted due to an "unprecedented" situation caused by a huge outage in the electricity grid.

CEZ, the electricity distribution company managing the grid in Sofia, has denied the claim.

Schools will remain closed on Thursday in the neighborhoods affected. Kindergartens, however, will use alternative power sources.

At a Thursday meeting of the Sofia Municipal Council, Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova has said she will refer to the prosecution so that it looks into what caused the breakdown, daily 24 Chasa reports.