Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

More than 200 forest fires in Bulgaria since beginning of 2016

Photo: BGNES

Since the beginning of the year, more than 200 forest fires have taken place on the territory of Bulgaria. Natural fires that erupted because of lightning were just 2 percent. Seven percent of fires were proven to be intentional. 80 percent were caused by negligence and 14 percent erupted because of unknown reasons. "Guilt of perpetrators is difficult to prove as they must be caught while committing the crime. In most cases authorities rely on confessions from perpetrators," Vladimir Konstantinov, an expert from the Forestry Agency, told the Bulgarian National Radio in an interview. Currently, there are video surveillance systems, enabling prevention and rapid response to fires, but they cover about 15-20% of the forest areas of the country, the expert added. Each year some 22,000 decares of Bulgarian forests burn.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Winners of the Bulgarian National Radio essay contest will be awarded at a ceremony in Taraclia

At the end of February this year, the Bulgarian National Radio announced an essay contest aimed at schoolchildren and students from the Bulgarian diaspora in Ukraine and Moldova. The children wrote on the topic "If it were possible, which Bulgarian..

published on 9/18/25 10:32 AM

Policeman passes away while guarding protest blockade of the parliament

Before the fifth vote of no confidence against the government of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, opposition MPs from "We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria" blocked the entrance to the courtyard of the parliament. They said..

published on 9/18/25 10:19 AM

Introduction of the EES system starts at border crossings of Bulgaria

On October 12, 2025, the phased introduction of the Entry/Exit System (EES) at the border crossings of Bulgaria begins. The system will apply to citizens of non-EU countries who travel to European countries using the EES for a..

published on 9/18/25 8:59 AM