Over 50 Bulgarian military personnel are continuing efforts to contain a large fire that broke out at the Slivnitsa training center in the Sofia region, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense. The troops have been on the scene since 7 a.m., working with eight vehicles to control the blaze.

The operation is being coordinated by Lieutenant Colonel Nikolay Dalev, commander of the 78th Support Battalion. On Sunday, 26 servicemen from this battalion, supported by six vehicles, were deployed at the site. In addition, 24 personnel from the Communication and Information Support Battalion and three from the 38th Nuclear, Chemical, Biological Protection and Ecology Battalion, each with relevant equipment, joined the firefighting effort.

The fire initially broke out late Saturday afternoon within the town of Slivnitsa and was rapidly intensified by strong winds. It quickly spread over a broad area, eventually reaching the grounds of the Slivnitsa training center. The Ministry reported that 29 servicemen and five vehicles were involved in efforts to extinguish the flames into the late hours of the night.

As the situation escalated, the blaze expanded beyond Slivnitsa and crossed into the neighboring municipality of Kostinbrod. The fire impacted several nearby villages, including Opitsvet, Bezden, and Bogyovtsi. Due to the severity of the situation, authorities declared a state of emergency across the Kostinbrod municipality, according to information from BTA.

By Sunday morning, the fire near the village of Bezden had been brought under control. However, efforts to fully localize and extinguish the remaining fire lines are ongoing. Chief Commissioner Alexander Dzhartov, head of the Main Directorate for Fire Safety and Population Protection, confirmed that work is continuing to isolate and contain the active fronts of the fire.