Four people lost their lives in a fire that broke out in a train carriage at Sofia Central Station early this morning. The fire was reported at 2:35 a.m., prompting the dispatch of two fire brigade teams with a total of 14 firefighters to the scene.

According to the director of the Sofia Fire Department, Senior Commissioner Vesselin Getov, the fire likely started due to negligence involving an open flame inside the last carriage of the train. “After extinguishing the fire, we found four deceased individuals inside the carriage,” he confirmed. Initial findings suggest the fire was caused by homeless individuals who had entered the carriage during the night.

Eyewitness accounts from the area confirm the presence of homeless people frequently using the station and its trains for shelter. A local resident stated, “I heard there was a fire, but I didn’t go out. These people are here every day. They’re homeless, and despite being chased away, they keep returning.”

The fire occurred in one of the carriages of a train scheduled to depart for Petrich at 7:30 a.m. Boycho Skrobanski, from the railway accident investigation unit, explained that the fire broke out in the last carriage of the train. Due to the incident, a different train composition was prepared and dispatched for the same route. Four carriages had been stationed on the second track of Sofia Central Station around 2 a.m., and the fire was isolated to one of them.

In addition to the fatalities, two men were seriously injured and transported to Pirogov University Emergency Hospital. Both, aged approximately 35 and 65, are being treated in the Toxicology Department and remain in critical condition due to smoke inhalation.

The director of the fire department, Chief Commissioner Alexander Dzhartov, clarified that the carriage was not abandoned and was part of an operational train set to run its scheduled route. The Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) confirmed that despite the incident and the prevailing fog, there have been no significant disruptions to the train schedule.

The General Directorate for Fire Safety and Population Protection reported that firefighters responded to 101 emergency calls nationwide in the last 24 hours, extinguishing 56 fires. Meanwhile, investigative actions continue at the scene, with an increased police presence ensuring security during the ongoing probe.

Sources:

• Bulgarian National Radio (BNR)
• Bulgarian National Television (BNT)