Alexander Zhartov

Bulgaria to Host NATO Crisis Response Exercises in 2024

Bulgaria and the Euro-Atlantic Emergency Response Coordination Center have signed a declaration of intent to hold crisis response exercises in the country next year. The exercises, expected to include teams from many NATO member countries, were announced by Alexander Zhartov, the general director of the Fire Safety and Civil Protection Directorate.

Bulgarian Army Joins Efforts to Combat Expanding Fire in Rila Mountains

Today, the army will join efforts to extinguish the fire near Cherni Vrah in the Rila Mountains, which ignited on Thursday at an altitude of over 2,300 meters and has since grown, according to Chief Commissioner Alexander Zhartov, director of the Main Directorate "Fire Safety and Population Protection."

Large Fire Near Struma Highway Prompts Evacuation Preparations

A large fire is burning next to the Struma highway, with flames breaking out between the villages of Mikrevo and Kamenitsa in the municipality of Strumiani, according to BNT. Instead of dispatching two teams from the Sandanski fire department, additional firefighters and forest officials are heading to the scene.

No Active Fires in Bulgaria, but Concerns Grow Over Nearby Greek Blaze

Currently, there are no active fires in Bulgaria. However, concerns persist about a fire burning in Greece, which is nearing the Bulgarian border. Chief Commissioner Alexander Zhartov, director of "Fire Safety and Protection of the Population," shared this update on bTV.

Floods and State of Emergency in Northwestern Bulgaria

The declared state of emergency remains in force in the municipalities of Berkovitsa and Georgi Damyanovo after yesterday's torrential rains. At the moment, there are no people in distress, said the mayor of Berkovitsa Dimitranka Kamenova.

The disaster caused damage to the infrastructure in some areas, there are flooded houses and yards.

An Early Warning system for Disasters and Accidents is being developed in Bulgaria

Hundreds of residents of Plovdiv and the region received messages yesterday about the earthquake, which occurred around 3:30 p.m. and had a magnitude of about 4.7 on the Richter scale. Today it became clear that the messages were not sent by the authorities in Bulgaria. Google generated them and are only for phones with the Android operating system.