Wildfire Moves Across Borders: Bulgaria and Greece Battle Expanding Blazes

The wildfire in Slavyanka Mountain, which straddles the border between Bulgaria and Greece, has moved to a new location. Today, efforts to control and extinguish the blaze involve firefighters, foresters, and military personnel. The situation is particularly concerning as the fire continues to burn on the Greek side without being controlled by either aerial or ground resources, raising the risk of the fire spreading further into Bulgaria.

A new fire has also erupted near Bulgaria's border with North Macedonia, close to the town of Pehchevo, about 3 kilometers from Bulgarian territory. Although it has not yet crossed into Bulgaria, precautionary measures are being taken, including creating firebreaks with bulldozers and maintaining vigilance from firefighters and foresters to prevent any potential danger.

The fire in Slavyanka Mountain has been burning for four weeks. Although all previous fire fronts were under control until yesterday, a new flare-up has occurred since this morning. The larger fire near Pehchevo in North Macedonia has also intensified but currently poses no immediate threat to Bulgaria.

Engineer Plamen Poyukov, director of the Katuntsi Regional Fire and Rescue Service, provided an update on the situation. He noted that discussions with the forestry director in Blagoevgrad reassured him that the North Macedonian fire, located 3 kilometers from the border, is being actively managed with firebreaks and mineralized strips to prevent it from encroaching into Bulgarian territory.

Regarding the fire in Slavyanka Mountain, Poyukov acknowledged that the situation has worsened with the Greek fire moving into Bulgarian territory. Preventive measures, including creating protective fire lines, were taken two days ago. Despite these...