BG-Alert Early Warning System Activated Due to Sungurlare Fire; Evacuation of Skala Village Underway

The BG-Alert early warning system has been activated due to the wildfire in Sungurlare. The evacuation of the village of Skala has begun. The Chubra–Slavyantsi–Skala road is filled with smoke and closed to traffic.

“If you are nearby, evacuate immediately. The smoke is dangerous and the fire is approaching,” the warning message reads.

Firefighting efforts in the Sungurlare area have now entered their fourth consecutive day. The declared state of emergency remains in force. Air support is assisting the operation, with a helicopter deployed from the Novo Selo base.

The care home for elderly residents with dementia in Slavyantsi remains empty following its evacuation, although staff have been reporting for duty for a third day.

“I keep going in and out, checking where the flames are heading and where the smoke is. We’re on edge all the time at the moment,” said Mariana Uzunova, the home’s steward.

“Every hour I spray water so that everything stays damp. We want to protect the pine trees because if the flames jump from tree to tree, the building will catch fire. We also have around three tonnes of fuel stored here for the winter,” explained worker Aldin Aliev.

The residents are temporarily accommodated in Sungurlare but ask the same question every day to social worker Siyana Nenova: “When will we go back home?”

Sijana Nenova, social worker at the home: "When will we come home?"

BNT: What do you answer them?

“This is their home — they see it as theirs,” she said.

When asked by BNT reporters how she responds, Nenova said: “I tell them, ‘Just a little longer — we’ll get through this and return.’ They’re in good health, but they don’t feel at ease.”

While reporters were at the home, staff received a phone call: “That bridge in Slavyantsi, down by the post office — it’s on fire and the flames are moving downhill; I’ve just been told from up there.”

“One of the fire fronts is here in this area and is moving downhill towards Beronovo,” said Senior Commissioner Nikolay Nikolayev, Director of the Burgas Regional Fire Safety and Civil Protection Directorate.

Chief Commissioner Nikolai Nikolaev, Director of the Regional Fire Service of Burgas: “Today’s forecast is much more favourable for us — yesterday we had winds of 30–40 km/h, but today the maximum is expected to be 7–8 km/h. We believe we should be able to bring the incident under control today, and hopefully during daylight hours.”

Sungurlare currently has no fire fighting service of its own — something Mayor Dimitar Gavazov says is urgently needed.

“Sungurlare is a large municipality, the third largest by area in Burgas Province. A response would certainly have been much quicker if we had our own service, because the time it takes for crews to come from Karnobat can be critical,” Gavazov noted.

The state of emergency will remain in effect until the fire is fully extinguished.