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| Weather in Bulgaria News Index |
Wildfires Continue to Rage in Bulgaria
Wildfires Continue to Rage in Bulgaria
Politics
Fire fighters continue to fight the blazes in the Haskovo and Stara Zagora regions in southern Bulgaria, Darik News reported.
The heat wave that swept Bulgaria at the weekend, when temperatures reached as high as 41,7 degrees Celsius, has caused dozens of wildfires.
Fires in the Stara Zagora region have been contained with the help of a Russian Il-76 jet, although thousands of acres of woodlands have been burned to the ground.
Fire fighters and the civil guard continue to fight another big fire in the Haskovo region, which has already destroyed 6,000 acres of wood and grassland.
Bulgarian authorities reported 345 wildfires in the country over the last 24 hours, including 70 that resulted damages to private property.
Two people have been reported dead in the fires that have raged since last week, while another four have been wounded. |
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Bulgaria Min Blames Passengers for Snow Woes
Bulgaria Min Blames Passengers for Snow Woes
Bulgaria's disaster management minister, who came under fire for boycotting cleaning efforts after heavy snowfalls threw the country into chaos, has been quick to blame "other institutions and the passengers themselves" for traffic woes.
In her first comment on the issue, Minister Emel Etem said that the institution in charge of the road network "clearly" did not do its job properly, while the Civil Defence Agency, which she manages, is ill equipped for rescue operations.
"After all every person should bear himself responsible for his own safety while setting out on a journey in heavy weather conditions," Minister Etem said Friday in an interview for the national TV channel, while on a holiday at an unnamed luxurious winter resort.
Asked whether she would cut short her holiday to handle the snowfall-triggered crisis, she said:
"Why should not I be allowed to enjoy my holiday to the fullest as other people do?," Minister Etem fumed, giving details about the busy days she has had ever since January 2.
Hours after the heavy snowfalls paralysed the country on Wednesday, the Disaster Management Ministry issued a statement, saying it is its responsibility to rescue stranded people, but not to clean roads.
Hundreds of people stuck in the snow along Bulgaria's roads, however, complained they were abandoned for hours in the freezing cold.
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Sofia Major Thoroughfares Cleared - Official
Sofia Major Thoroughfares Cleared - Official
The main thoroughfares of Bulgarian capital Sofia have been cleared of snow, with cleaning activities focusing now on the smaller streets in the city, a top city hall official said on Thursday.
"We are still to go into the small streets inside the residential neighbourhoods, which is what we will start doing today," the head of Sofia's inspectorate Galen Ganchev said.
"The top priority is ensuring that the urban transport can work unimpeded, which has caused us a bit of a stress yesterday," he added.
According to existing regulations, all snow has to be cleared within four hours after the snowfall dies out, Ganchev said.
"We didn't wait for that, we began cleaning from the start," he added.
Traffic in Sofia is satisfactory given the weather conditions, with 846 busses, trolleybuses and trams circulating throughout the day, with only small delays at worst, the city hall said.
It also advised residents not to use their own cars and stick to public transportation in order to prevent traffic jams in the city. |
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