Bulgarian Military Teams Carry Out Controlled Detonations at EMKO Munitions Plant
Published on 08/28/2026 at 13:37 | Editorial boerse-global.de
Bulgarian military teams are conducting controlled detonations of ammunition at the EMKO munitions plant today, Friday, August 28, following a major fire and series of explosions at the facility earlier this month. The operation marks the latest stage in an extended safety response that has kept the region under partial emergency measures for weeks.
Controlled Detonation and Public Safety
The Ministry of Defense scheduled the disposal operations to take place between 10:00 and 14:00 within a 500-meter radius of the EMKO facility near the village of Belitsa. Authorities activated the BG-ALERT emergency notification system to keep residents informed and calm during the procedures.
A similar controlled detonation was carried out on August 12 to secure the area. The ongoing measures follow the extension of a partial state of emergency for the region, which was renewed for 30 days starting on August 13.
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Recovery from August Munitions Fire
The current operations stem from an incident on August 10 at approximately 10:30 AM, when a fire — reportedly triggered by a truck ignition — led to a series of explosions at the storage base near Tryavna. The blasts destroyed a warehouse building and sparked a forest fire that spread toward the areas of Astanchohan and Ruevite Houses, though local officials confirmed there were no casualties or toxic environmental risks.
Mayor Dencho Minev reported that air quality monitoring stations found no deviations from safety standards following the fire. Emergency response efforts involved six firefighting teams, six forestry units, and local volunteers to contain the blaze and prevent it from reaching nearby residential structures.
Investigation and Industry Response
EMKO representatives have stated that human error has been ruled out as a cause of the August 10 incident. Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev further clarified that investigators have found no evidence of external interference at the site. Although a warehouse building was completely destroyed, other facilities at the plant remained unaffected.
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Separate Ordnance Neutralization in Slivnica
In a separate military operation, a specialized team from the 78th Security Battalion neutralized a heavily corroded aerial bomb at the Slivnica training center on Thursday, August 27. The team, led by Captain Georgi Georgiev and Captain Borislav Manov, responded to the discovery of the ordnance, which was found earlier in the week on Tuesday evening during forest road clearing near the village of Bosnek.
The bomb was identified, extracted, and transported to a military range for disposal under the direction of the Chief of Defense and the Commander of the Land Forces.
