The building of the former Mechanotechnical School in the center of Montana was severely damaged after it caught fire twice in less than 24 hours, leaving behind enormous material damage.
The first fire alarm in the uninhabited school was reported shortly after midnight, when the fire engulfed two offices on the third floor. After fire crews managed to quickly localize the element, on Sunday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. the flames erupted again with much greater force. A strong wind ignited the fire, which quickly engulfed and completely destroyed 250 square meters of the roof structure, causing thick smoke throughout the city.
More than five fire crews were involved in extinguishing the fire and managed to control the disaster in nearly two hours. No one was injured in the incidents. A team from the Regional Inspectorate for Environmental Protection and Water was also sent to the scene to measure air quality.
Residents of the neighborhood say that immediately before the first fire, the sound of breaking glass was heard from the building and that there were outsiders. Montana Mayor Zlatko Zhivkov specified that the building has not been used since 2013 and is state property under the management of the Ministry of Education and Science, and previous attempts by the municipality to acquire it for educational purposes have been unsuccessful. The investigation into the causes of the incident is ongoing.