Large Wildfire Raging Near S Bulgaria's Topolovgrad

Authorities are fighting a fire that extends over 5 km into the area of three villages near the town of Topolovgrad, Southern Bulgaria, local officials say.

Several vehicles, dozens of firefighters, border police officials and volunteers are trying to put out the fire which has already destroyed "thousands of decares" of land, including forest land, the mayor of Topolovgrad has told Focus Radio.

He has not immediately mentioned whether arable land has also been affected.

As of 22:00 Bulgarian time, there is no risk that housing or infrastructure of the villages of Radovets, Prisadets, and Filipovo, in whose immediate surrounding the flames are raging, could be caught in flames, the local deputy governor of Haskovo has said.

Topolovgrad lies in the region of Haskovo, which is not far from the border with Turkey.

Risk of fire has been high in some Bulgarian regions since last week amid a heat wave, with hundreds of incidenrs (including wildfires) reported and addressed by authorities in a few days' time.