Two Bulgarian installations highlight Hochiki fire detection range

by Featured NewsFire DetectionProjects

Hochiki projects in Bulgaria

Hochiki Europe has published details of two completed fire detection installations in Bulgaria, covering a logistics warehouse in Radinovo and a mixed-use tower in Sofia.

The company said the projects were delivered by partners MCM Engineering and Sectron, using different parts of the Hochiki product range to match each building’s layout and fire detection needs.

At the BULTEX 99 logistics centre in Radinovo, a 270,000 square foot facility storing large volumes of flammable clothing materials, MCM Engineering installed 350 ESP intelligent devices with Hochiki’s 6-loop Latitude fire control panel.

The site’s dense racking storage systems were protected using FIREbeam Xtra addressable beam smoke detectors positioned along warehouse corridors.

Georgi Georgiev said: “Hochiki’s ESP open protocol gives us the flexibility when dealing with such a large and complex facility, BULTEX 99 now have a centralised system that is simple to monitor and designed to support future expansion.”

Smart Tower installation in Sofia

In Sofia, Hochiki Europe said Sectron completed an installation at Smart Tower, a development with 30 floors of luxury apartments, 12 levels of commercial space and a four-storey underground car park.

The estimated occupancy across the two connected buildings is 2,552.

More than 10,000 Hochiki devices were installed across the development.

The commercial areas used the ESP addressable range, individual apartments used the Conventional CDX range and the basement car park used Hochiki’s Linear Heat Detection Cable where exhaust fumes made conventional smoke detection unsuitable.

Elena Pencheva, Design Engineer, Sectron, said: “Hochiki’s multiple solutions made overcoming the challenges with Smart Tower’s infrastructure straightforward.

“The open-protocol capabilities provided ultimate flexibility when integrating multiple, tailored solutions across the building.”

The two installations were presented as examples of how different Hochiki systems can be applied across large warehouse and mixed-use residential developments.

Bulgaria uses satellite fire surveillance to support wildfire response

by Featured NewsFire DetectionWildland Fire

Bulgaria monitors wildfires using satellite fire surveillance

European News Room (enr) has reported that Bulgaria’s Ministry of Interior is monitoring national wildfire conditions using the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

Interior Minister Daniel Mitov said the country receives real-time satellite data on fire locations, hourly temperature anomalies, and the scale of destroyed areas.

Mitov explained that the information also includes long-term monthly forecasts for temperature and precipitation anomalies, statistical data, and fire danger index assessments.

He added that Bulgaria’s General Directorate for Fire Safety and Population Protection can activate the Copernicus system when operational needs arise.

EFFIS also provides Bulgaria with news and operational updates from other European Union member states and international partners.

Wildfire locations and scale in Bulgaria

Mitov stated earlier this week that Bulgaria is currently experiencing more than 1,000 active fires.

Two of these incidents are classed as more serious, one near Sungurlare in the Burgas region and another in the Blagoevgrad region near Ilindentsi.

According to Mitov, firefighting equipment provided through the European Civil Protection Mechanism has been deployed in the affected areas.

The fire near Sungurlare involved Swedish aircraft and helicopters, along with one American helicopter from the base in Novo Selo.

Mitov confirmed that this fire has now been brought under control.

Ongoing firefighting in the Pirin Mountains

Mitov reported that the fire in the Pirin Mountains remains active.

Military personnel have been deployed alongside firefighters to tackle the incident both from the air and on the ground.

Operations in the Pirin Mountains are ongoing, with no timeline given for containment.

International assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism

In July, Bulgaria formally activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to address wildfire threats.

This resulted in the deployment of four helicopters from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, and France.

Three Swedish planes were also sent to support Bulgarian firefighting efforts.

The Ministry of Interior stated that this international support has been essential in tackling multiple fire outbreaks across the country.

Bulgaria’s wildfire statistics and European ranking

According to EFFIS data shared in early August by Eng. Tihomir Tomanov, Executive Director of the Municipal Forests Association, Bulgaria ranks second in Europe for wildfire incidence in 2024, behind only Cyprus.

Tomanov reported that the country typically records around 600 forest fires annually.

These fires affect approximately 10,000 hectares of land each year.

Direct economic losses from these incidents are estimated at 2.5 million euros annually.

Relevance for fire and safety professionals

Fire and safety professionals can note Bulgaria’s integration of EFFIS and Copernicus systems as examples of using satellite-based intelligence in operational decision-making.

The country’s coordination with the EU Civil Protection Mechanism highlights the role of international resource sharing in wildfire response.

The data provided through these systems supports risk assessment, long-term forecasting, and the prioritisation of resources.

These approaches may inform strategies in other regions facing large-scale wildfire challenges.

Bulgaria uses satellite fire surveillance to support wildfire response: Summary

Bulgaria is using the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) for real-time wildfire monitoring.

Interior Minister Daniel Mitov said the data includes locations, temperature anomalies, destroyed areas, and long-term forecasts.

The Copernicus system can be activated for operational needs.

Bulgaria currently has over 1,000 active fires, with serious incidents near Sungurlare and Ilindentsi.

International aircraft assisted in extinguishing the Sungurlare fire.

The Pirin Mountains fire is ongoing with military involvement.

In July, Bulgaria activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

Helicopters from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, and France, plus Swedish planes, were deployed.

EFFIS data shows Bulgaria ranks second in Europe for wildfires in 2024.

The country averages 600 forest fires per year.

Annual losses are about 2.5 million euros.

Bulgaria and North Macedonia agree cross-border cooperation in forest firefighting

by Featured NewsWildland Fire

A cross-border network for natural disaster response has been established under a project between Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia, involving 26 municipalities on both sides of the border.

The project, which concluded with a conference on Thursday, was implemented by the Association of South-Western Municipalities (ASWM) on the Bulgarian side and the Centre for Development of the South-Eastern Planning Region of the Republic of North Macedonia under the Interreg-IPA program for cross-border cooperation between the two neighbouring countries.

Lyubitsa Tomova, executive director of the ASWM, said that the project involved mainly voluntary units on the Bulgarian side and professional firefighting services on the side of the North Macedonia. A number of trainings have since been held, both in theory and in practice. In addition to the training programme, the project has established a cross-border network for response to natural and man-made disasters, and has supplied personal protective equipment and fire-fighting equipment. 

A Memorandum of Cooperation was signed during Thursday’s closing conference. Tomova invited everyone who is willing and recognises themselves in the objectives set in the memorandum to join and work in this direction within the next one month.

Zulieta Gjurgova, sector manager at the Development Centre of the South-Eastern Planning Region of the Republic of North Macedonia, called the agreement one of the best projects for this period of the Interreg-IPA programme and the work between the two countries, and it creates the basis that facilitates future volunteer trainings.