More than 4,500 of woodland in Pirin has been destroyed by the wildfires after July 25. There are still local outbreaks on the ground, said Ivan Rizov, director of Strumiany State Forestry Enterprise in an interview with the Bulgarian news agency BTA. 

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For the time being, the data regarding the damage inflicted is only on the basis of satellite photographs. The burning continues along the periphery high up in the mountain, but it is ground fire. There is no danger of a crown fire. There is no risk of the fire spreading, or any danger to any settlements, Ivan Rizov said further. “We are hoping there will be rain because local outbreaks will continue to appear. The situation remains critical and we cannot say the fire has been extinguished completely,” Ivan Rizov said. The plants destroyed were around 50 years old, this means that it will take approximately half a century to restore the same forest, he said.

Edited by Ivo Ivanov
Translated and posted by Milena Daynova
Photos: Marti Dimov/Facebook