We are alarmed to report that in just one week in July 2025, four fires broke out in the Atanasovsko Lake area—three in the northern part and one in the southern part. 

On the afternoon of July 5 and at noon on July 6, the northern salt pans burned, including parts near the border of the Atanasovsko Lake Reserve, with the burned area exceeding 120 decares. The iconic bird-watching spot and favourite of many nature lovers, "Tochka," was also burned down, along with other buildings, such as "Kochinka" and three saltworks barracks. Only the quick intervention of the Burgas Fire Department prevented more serious damage to the reserve. On July 10, a new fire broke out in the area near the Tree Nursery, which was also extinguished in time. 

On July 13, at 3:30 a.m., the bird watching hide in the southern part of Atanasovsko Lake was deliberately set on fire. The building, owned by RIEW-Burgas and used by the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation (BBF) for educational and nature conservation activities, was seriously damaged. Part of the roof, one-third of the newly built screen, windows, and shutters on the outside and inside were burned. Only the quick intervention of the SOT team, which alerted RIEW and the fire department, led to the rescue of the site after two and a half hours of effort by the firefighters. 
The fire caused serious damage not only to the infrastructure but also symbolically to the efforts of the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation to protect this exceptional site, which is part of the Natura 2000 network and the Ramsar Convention.

The context is particularly alarming – four fires in just one week, with suspicions of arson.
We call on the authorities to take swift action to identify the perpetrators of the arson, to increase security in the area around the lake, and to protect the natural and educational sites built with public efforts and funds.

We ask every citizen who witnesses vandalism or arson to immediately call 112. 

Once again, we express our gratitude to the employees of the First District Service "Fire Safety and Civil Protection" (RSPBZN) - Burgas.