Around 60 Deacres of Pine Forest Burned in the Wildfire in Rila

At an altitude of 2,200 metres in the rugged terrain of the Rila Mountains, 55 people—including volunteers, forest service personnel, and firefighters—set out early this morning to manually battle the flames. So far, approximately 60 decares (about 15 acres) of pine forest have been destroyed.

“We’re constantly striving to carry out activities that improve our capabilities. We came here to support the fire services and our colleagues,” said Milen Dankov, head of the Sofia Volunteer Emergency Response Unit.

“The most capable personnel are involved—firefighters from the region, forestry officials, and us, trained volunteers,” added Stanislav Minchev, a volunteer from Sofia.

"How will you fight the fire primarily?

“With fire beaters, hoes—we’ll assess the situation with water access and determine what fire lines we can establish,” he explained.

Two helicopters from the Bulgarian Air Force joined the firefighting efforts from the air today.

“The distances are quite significant—one group takes about two and a half hours to reach the site, another passes through the reservoir and cascade tunnel, crossing the 12th post above the Iliina River,” said Chief Inspector Stefan Takhtadzhijski, head of the Regional Fire Safety and Civil Protection Unit – Rila.

“This is currently the most problematic fire in the country. Since we operate only during daylight hours, the fire continues to spread at night. That means the progress we make during the day has to be regained the following morning,” said Chief Commissioner Alexander Djartov, Director of the General Directorate for Fire Safety and Civil Protection (GDFSPC).

The wildfire remains far from the Rila Monastery and nearby populated areas. However, fully extinguishing the fire will require substantial rainfall. Only heavy rain can completely put out the smoldering tree trunks in the forest.