Southern Bulgaria battles forest fires near North Macedonia border

In the region of southern Bulgaria, on the border with Greece and North Macedonia, dangerous forest fires are spreading. Near the border with North Macedonia, the flames have already consumed an area exceeding 30 hectares. As a result, a decision was made to evacuate residents from three nearby villages.

The fire continuously moves towards the territory of North Macedonia; moreover, according to the latest reports from firefighting services, the danger is now only about 1 kilometre from the border with that country.

Two French firefighting planes, which were dispatched to the scene by the European Union, have been engaged in fighting the fire.

Previously, the same units conducted operations in the border area of Bulgaria and Greece, in Mount Slavianka. However, they had to be moved from that area because mines from World War II were found on the Greek side. These explode upon contact with fire, posing a direct threat to the planes involved in the operation.

Many mines resulted from remnants from the Metaxas Line, established by Greek forces in 1938 when Greece and Bulgaria were part of opposing alliances.

Due to the presence of mines, firefighters are forced to conduct operations only from the air. To control the situation near the border with North Macedonia, in addition to the planes, a Bulgarian military helicopter, numerous fire vehicles, and volunteer groups have also been engaged.

Eyewitnesses report that the fire is so intense that smoke columns are visible even from the distant city of Blagoevgrad, several kilometres away.