The situation with large-scale fires in the Balkans and in Bulgaria remains dynamic, but under control. After hours of smoke and activation of the BG-ALERT system in a number of regions, air quality is starting to improve, and the main internal outbreaks have been localized.
A new fire broke out between Zimnitsa and Vetren
Late in the evening of August 18, a new incident was registered in Stara Zagora. A fire broke out in the area between the villages of Zimnitsa and Vetren in the Muglizh region. The signal for burning dry grass was submitted at 9:16 p.m., and a firefighting team was immediately sent to the scene. In the early hours of the day, firefighters continued to monitor and treat the perimeter to prevent the fire from spreading to the forest fund.
Source: ODMVR – Stara Zagora, quoted by Paragraf (paragraf.bg/pozhar-gori-mezhdu-selata-zimnitsa-i-vetren).
The large fire near the landfill in Dupnitsa has been brought under control
The large fire that broke out earlier in the day at the reloading station and the old city landfill near Dupnitsa in the “Elez Dere“ area has been localized. The fire, which covered about 12-15 acres of waste and dry grass, was ignited by strong gusts of wind, which led to the closure of the main road E-79 and heavy smoke in the villages of Dzherman and Blazhievo. The cause of the incident is a short circuit from a broken cable during cleaning around a power line. The road is open, and municipal equipment begins to sweep up the smoldering waste.
Source: Bulgarian National Radio (bnrnews.bg/horizont/post/517189/lokaliziran-e-pozharat-koyto-vaznikna-na-pretovarna-stantsiya-kray-dupnitsa).
What is happening with the fire near Mezdra?
The situation in the villa area of the town of Mezdra has now returned to normal after the fire was completely extinguished after a 6-hour battle. The fire burned down nearly 10 uninhabited buildings, vineyards and gardens, and the danger necessitated the preventive evacuation of 30 children from a local kindergarten and a center for people with disabilities. On-duty teams remain on the ground, as the wind in Northwestern Bulgaria continues to create a risk of local ignitions of smoldering masses.
Source: Nova Television (nova.bg/news/view/2026/08/18/548166/evakuiraha-desetki-deceta-zaradi-pozhar-vav-vilna-zona-v-mezdra).
Air quality improves after fires in Serbia
The smoke cloud that covered the Sofia Valley, Pernik and the border regions as a result of over 45 active forest fires in Serbia (including in the “Banatski pyasatsi“ reserve) is gradually dissipating. Measuring stations and mobile laboratories in our country do not report dangerous excesses of the norms of fine dust particles (FPM) and nitrogen oxides.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Bulgaria officially requested detailed information from the Serbian authorities regarding the scale of the disaster and promptly offered logistical and technical assistance to deal with the fire. According to the General Directorate of “Fire Safety and Population Protection“, there is no risk of the Serbian fires crossing the Bulgarian border. The wind is already changing direction and pushing the smoke south.
Source: Sofia Municipality and GDPBZN, coverage in Mediapool (mediapool.bg/pozhar-v-sarbiya-zadimi-sofiya-i-okolnostite-news386628.html).