An angered crowd of ethnic Bulgarians has set on fire the estate of notorious Roma clan leader Kiril Rashkov, aka Tsar Kiro, in the village of Katunitsa after ethnic tensions escalated to an unprecedented high.

The luxury estate of Tsar Kiro, in which members of his family reside, has been set aflame from all sides, as riot police are unable to stop rioters.

Fire squads are attempting to quench up the blazes, as protesters keep on vandalizing the property.

According to senior police sources, the members of Tsar Kiro's family who were present at the site have been safely escorted by police out of the village.

Tensions first flared up Friday evening, after what locals describe as the intentionall running over and killing of a local 19-year-old ethnic Bulgarian by a car full of Roma people.

Local Bulgarian residents went to vandalize the property of the famous and influential local Roma leader, but were largely restrained by a 200-strong deployment of police.

However, reports have it that Saturday evening rioters are not Katunitsa locals, but rather extremist football fans of the two major teams in nearby city of Plovdiv, Lokomotiv and Botev.

People in Katunitsa are reported to alarmed at the escalation of violence, as they fear what effects the conflict will have on the future of life in the village.

According to eyewitnesses, some 200 vandals are throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at the Rashkov residence, shouting "Murderers!" Cars from Plovdiv are said to be flocking to the village.

Interethnic tensions have been simmering in Katunitsa for years, with locals complaining of Tsar Kiro and members of his family exercising a self-styled rule over the community, with authorities doing little or nothing to curb it.

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