In the Gabrovo region of Bulgaria, a fire broke out at night on 12 September at the EMCO factory’s ammunition depots near the village of Tsareva Levada. A series of explosions followed the outbreak of the fire, and the blaze spread to two neighbouring sites. There were no people in the storage facilities; two security guards left the premises. The area was cordoned off, and no threat to residents of the nearest settlements was reported.
Briefly about the main points
- A fire broke out at the EMCO warehouse near Tsareva Levada on the night of 12 September.
- The fire spread to two neighbouring buildings and caused a series of explosions.
- There are 11 warehouses on the site; there were no staff inside.
- The Public Prosecutor’s Office launched a pre-trial investigation following the incident.
- The Bulgarian Ministry of the Interior plans to inspect all the country’s ammunition depots.
The fire spread to neighbouring warehouses
The fire broke out in one of the warehouses. There are 11 warehouses on the site, and the flames subsequently spread to two more of them. According to local authorities, the fire was accompanied by a series of explosions.
There were no workers in the buildings when the fire broke out. Two security guards managed to leave the danger zone.
The area has been cordoned off; a search will be carried out once a security check has been completed
Law enforcement officers have cordoned off the area where the incident took place, and the emergency services are on the scene. The national emergency alert system has also been activated in the region. According to the Bulgarian Ministry of the Interior, there was no need to evacuate the public.
The Gabrovo District Public Prosecutor’s Office is conducting a pre-trial investigation and has already interviewed an eyewitness. A search of the site will begin once the counter-terrorism unit has confirmed that it is safe. Investigators will request documents relating to the composition, list of items and movement of materials.
The cause of the fire has not been officially established. The Minister of the Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev stated that Bulgaria would inspect all ammunition depots to assess the conditions under which they are stored and the security arrangements for explosive materials.
The second incident at the company’s sites in recent weeks
On 10 August, a fire involving an explosion broke out at another site EMCO near the village of Belitsa; there were no casualties on that occasion either. According to Bulgarian National Television, the clean-up of that area was completed on 8 September.
EMCO has described the new incident as part of a series of acts of sabotage targeting the Bulgarian defence industry. The company’s position is that the investigation has confirmed neither sabotage nor an accident as the cause. The findings of the expert reports on the August explosion are not yet available, and no official link between the two incidents has been established.
