Thousands of hectares burn in massive fire in South-Central Bulgaria

Tens of thousands of hectares of forest and agricultural land have burned in a fire in south-central Bulgaria, according to local officials.

Svilengrad Mayor Anastas Karchev told Bulgarian National Radio that a fire broke out on July 13 in Svilengrad town in Haskovo Province, near the Turkish border.

Karchev noted that the fire has been advancing toward southern Bulgaria’s Mladinovo and Mihalich villages.

Karchev said the fire was controlled near the town of Lesovo, adding that strong winds in the region made it difficult to extinguish it completely.

Bulgarian fire and civil defense officials reported more than 200 fires across the country in recent days.