Big wild fire burning in Sakar Mountain, helicopter joined the efforts to put it out

A new wildfire broke out in recent hours. The flames are on the border of the districts of Haskovo and Stara Zagora in the area of the villages of Polski Gradets, Svetlina and Mudrets in southern Bulgaria. A helicopter with a crew from the 24th Air Base Krumovo of the Air Force took part in the extinguishing. By order of the regional governor, a partial state of emergency was declared for the municipalities of Galabovo and Radnevo.

"At the moment the situation is quite tense. This fire has been raging for approximately 2 hours now, and deciduous forests have been affected. All available 8 fire engines with staff Stara Zagora Fire Fighting Service are o-site and a helicopter has been working for more than an hour. There is still no hazard for the settlements", said Ivan Cholakov, Stara Zagora District Governor.

In Stara Zagora district, for a second day in a row, servicemen from the 38th Mechanised Battalion of the 2nd Tundzhan Mechanised Brigade are assisting in extinguishing the fire in the village of Pastrovo. Under the leadership of Captain Gerasim Zlatinov, 20 servicemen continue to battle the fire and provide assistance to the fire fighting teams from Stara Zagora.

In Haskovo region, 20 servicemen and 5 units of equipment from the 31st Mechanised Battalion, also from the 2nd Mechanised Brigade, are operating 1 km northeast of the village of Bryagovo, Haskovo Municipality. The group is led by Captain Yonko Yonkov, the battalion's deputy chief of staff for fire support. For the time being, the fire has been localised, with the servicemen conducting a perimeter sweep and making fire breaks to prevent the fire from spreading.