The fire in the Pirin Mountains has flared up again. Due to high temperatures and wind, three internal hotspots reignited above the village of Ilindentsi, where the blaze had been brought under control but not fully extinguished. The fire has been raging in the area for a third consecutive week.
More than 100 people are on the ground assisting with firefighting efforts. Two of the hotspots are located in difficult-to-access terrain, unreachable by firefighting vehicles, meaning the work must be done by hand. At present, there is no danger to nearby settlements.
Ivan Rizov, Director of the Strumyani State Forestry Enterprise, said:
"Late yesterday afternoon, three main hotspots flared up — one in Strumyani Municipality and two in Sandanski Municipality. The ones in Sandanski are already high in the mountains, where there is no access and no roads, so all teams will have to walk to reach them. It takes at least an hour, sometimes longer. At the moment, we have no information on whether aerial firefighting support will be deployed, but it would certainly help, because the terrain is very challenging — reaching the locations on foot takes a long time and getting water up there is difficult. The real danger comes in the afternoon hours, when temperatures rise and wind picks up. I hope the ground teams, who have already set out this morning, will be able to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading further."
Atanas Stoyanov, Mayor of Sandanski:
"At this time, there is no direct and immediate danger to the residents of the villages of Lilyanovo, Ploski, or Ilindentsi. Yes, the smoke is causing some discomfort in terms of air pollution. I hope this will subside, given that there is currently no wind, but the situation remains truly complex. This has led today to a large presence of firefighters, forestry staff from Strumyani and Sandanski, military personnel, and volunteer units."
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