Pine Forest Fire Threatens Haskovo
A fast-moving pine forest fire near Haskovo’s “Makedonski” residential district forced emergency teams to pivot rapidly, as multiple major blazes broke out simultaneously across the Haskovo region. Thick smoke from the burning pine canopy was visible for kilometers, prompting residents in nearby homes and apartment blocks to gather anxiously on their balconies. The fire was close to buildings.
Firefighters rushed into the burning woodland to stop ground flames from climbing into the tree crowns, where containment becomes nearly impossible. Crews fought the blaze using specialized sprayers and beaters, aided by local neighborhood volunteers and the direct presence of fire department leadership. Initial assumptions suggest the fire ignited from gazebos within the forest due to human carelessness.
While the flames drew near to buildings, authorities confirmed there was no immediate danger to nearby residential structures.
Simultaneous Blazes Stretches Emergency Crews
The Haskovo region faced a grueling afternoon as emergency crews had to redistribute resources across several concurrent incidents.
Meanwhile, a fire erupted in the “Kenana” villa zone. An elderly resident suffered injuries while attempting to extinguish flames that spread from his own yard into neighboring properties, destroying several yards and a storage shed.
Ivaylovgrad Declares State of Emergency
In the Ivaylovgrad region, a wildfire consumed between 1,000 and 1,500 decares of dry grass, brush, and deciduous forest near the village of Gorno Lukovo, while separate sources noted about 300 decares of land caught fire around the Ivaylovgrad villages of Gorno and Dolno Lukovo.
Thirteen fire safety and population protection teams from Ivaylovgrad, Lyubimets, and Harmanli deployed to the rugged terrain, working alongside the Ivaylovgrad Municipality volunteer formation. A bulldozer carved out protective firebreaks to limit the spread of the flames, while strong, shifting winds severely hampered ground operations.
Military Deployment and Aerial Support
To bolster the response, the Ministry of Defense dispatched a “Cougar” military helicopter from the Krumovo air base, which took off at 4:47 p.m. to conduct aerial firefighting alongside the General Directorate for Fire Safety and Protection of the Population.
Kardzhali Landfill Fire Brought Under Control
Separately, teams from the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior reported that a fire at the Kardzhali regional waste depot, located near the village of Vishegrad, was extinguished by the Regional Directorate “Fire Safety and Civil Protection”. Two fire teams with two vehicles were dispatched after a report on the previous day regarding burning waste at the landfill. Although the flames were put out, smoking from smoldering waste continued, causing smoke to spread to surrounding settlements. Currently, one fire team consisting of five firefighters, alongside employees of the company managing the site, are working to stop the smoke by covering the burning waste with earth. Authorities noted this is the second landfill fire within a few days, following an earlier incident on October 1 caused by human carelessness which had also been localized and extinguished by two fire teams.
