Forest Fire Blazes in Bulgaria's Osogovo Mountain

Firemen are fighting a forest fire in the Osogovo Mountain nearby south western Bulgarian city of Kyustendil.

The fire is not spreading fast and is blazing in the vicinity of a deciduous forest nearby Kyustendil village Zhilentsi.

The fire has spread to an area of 50-100 acres in a hard-to access area. The ground is damp and there is a lot of smoke going out.

Local volunteers have joined fire-fighters in attempt to tame the fire.

The cause of fire is not clear yet. Expect details.

Strange to have a forest fire in november, august yes. not november.

Does seem very odd and |I would think that everywhere is quite damp I know that the weather is odd at the moment but still it makes you wonder how this has happened and spread so quick

[size=55:2bcv4nbs]November 7, 2010,

Second Wildfire Hits Bulgaria Sunday

Bulgaria: Second Wildfire Hits Bulgaria Sunday

A forest fire has erupted in the Vitosha mountain nearby capital Sofia, while firemen are fighting a prior fire in Osogovo near Kyustendil.

Wildfires are an unusual occurrence for the fall season in Bulgaria, but recent days have been unusually hot and dry.

The Vitosha fire has an area of 4-5 dekares and the wind seems to be spreading it.

The fire has erupted in the Kumata area of the Vitosha mountains and has been reported by many hill-walkers.

Vitosha is one of the most popular weekend recreation place for Sofia residents.

As with the Osogovo case, the cause has not been determined yet.

Bulgarian fire-fighters are struggling to extinguish no less than 37 fires in Bulgaria, the Interior Ministry announced on November 10 2010.

The situation in the municipalities of Etropole and Teteven is reported as most critical.

Forest fires raging in Stara Planina mountain range have been made worse by the strong winds, causing significant damage to the flora and fauna. There are more than 450 people working to contain the fire in the area, the Interior Ministry said in a media statement.

Firefighters, rescuers, police officers, forest and mountain rangers and volunteers were battling together to extinguish the flames in the municipalities of Etropole and Teteven, the report said. A helicopter from 28th squadron was deployed for the second day running.

There are six major conflagrations raging in the Sofia and Lovech municipalities. About 90 fire-fighters and other officers are combating the fire in the region of Ostroma which they expect to have completely under control by the day's end.

New fires are raging between the villages of Lipnitsa and Bozhenitsa, encompassing areas more than 300 ha. Mixed forests and scrubs have been affected. A team of 36 fire-fighters is deployed on the scene.

Fires are also blazing near the village of Lessidren, in the municipality of Ugurchin, where 25 fire-fighters are on the scene. Authorities say that for the moment no populated areas are threatened.

Strong winds, which will continue on November 10 and overnight, early into the following day, and unseasonably warm temperatures will not help the fire-fighters. Temperatures will reach 27C in places, and about 20C in Sofia. It will be partially cloudy over most of the country, while rain was expected in some south western areas.

Warm and sunny weather with occasional cloud cover will continue at least until the end of the week. Over the weekend, average temperatures are expected to be around 20C, with predominantly sunny skies.

[size=55:yylf90z7]Sofia echo 11 November 2010

More than 200 wildfires raging in Bulgaria

Wildfires are raging in various places in Bulgaria amid temperatures that are unusually warm for this time of November. In the past 24 hours there were 264 fires, while 30 new fires were detected between midnight and the morning of November 11 2010.

In total, 264 fires are raging, up from 37 fires reported at noon on November 10, the National Fire and Emergency Safety services said in a media statement.

Regions around Sofia, Botevgrad, Pravets, Etropole, Lovech, Troyan, Teteven and Montana remain in very serious condition, the report said. To combat the blazes, more than 1200 personnel will be deployed, up from 450 the previous day, Bulgarian television channel bTV said.

A combined force of fire-fighters, police, civil defence, park and mountain rangers, the Bulgarian army, members of hunting clubs, staff from private companies, municipalities and volunteers were working together against the blazes.

Strong winds reaching hurricane intensity, which lashed Bulgaria for nearly three days and throughout the night of November 10-11 and the unseasonably warm weather, have contributed greatly to the infernos. To top it all, temperatures went up as high as 27C in places. The only good news for the authorities is that the forecast for November 11 is one of bigger cloud cover and possible rain, although temperatures will remain high for the season.

The previous day, the situation in the municipalities of Etropole and Teteven was reported as most critical.

Forest fires raging in Stara Planina mountain caused significant damage to the flora and fauna, and for the moment there is no information that they have been successfully tackled.

Fire-fighters, rescuers, police officers, forest and mountain rangers and volunteers were battling together to extinguish the flames in the municipalities of Etropole and Teteven, the report said. A helicopter from 28th squadron was deployed for the second day running.