Headline: Tragic Fire at Sofia Central Station: Four Homeless People Perish; Two Critical; Arson Investigation Underway
Article:
In a heart-wrenching turn of events, four homeless individuals lost their lives in an early morning fire at Sofia’s Central Railway Station. Two more victims are hospitalized in critical condition at the Pirogov Emergency Hospital. The incident has sparked an arson investigation, with two suspects currently in custody.
Bulgarian Railways (BDZ) confirmed that the involved carriage was intended for a morning train departing to Petrich. The fire broke out around 2:30 AM, allegedly caused by the homeless residents trying to keep warm using an open fire, according to initial reports obtained by Nova TV.
Sofia Fire Brigade Director, Senior Commissioner Veselin Getov, revealed to BNR that the fire likely started due to negligence while burning an open fire in the last carriage, where the homeless individuals were taking refuge. Despite the best efforts of the firefighters, four lives were lost, and two others were severely injured.
The Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the incident, with Deputy Prosecutor Ivo Ivanov revealing that early findings suggest a possible conflict among the homeless residents might have led to the fire. Ivanov stated, "It is possible that a conflict occurred between two of the individuals staying in the carriages. One of them might have deliberately set the fire ablaze."
The investigation is ongoing, with additional witness interrogations scheduled. If the initial claims are confirmed, the suspected arsonist could be charged and detained for 72 hours.
Local residents shared their shock and concern about the situation. One resident told BNR, "I heard about the fire but didn’t go out. I knew it was those living here. They’re here every day, they’re Romani people who live by the station. I don’t know if the trains are locked, but they keep coming back."
The fire service continues to carry out inspections at the scene, with increased police presence.
Follow-up:
Two victims, aged around 65 and over 35, remain in critical condition at the Pirogov Emergency Hospital. Three fire trucks and one specialized incident support vehicle were dispatched to combat the fire. The burning carriage was the last one in the composition set to travel to Blagoevgrad at 7:30 AM.
BDZ confirmed that no disruptions in train schedules resulted from the incident or recent morning mists. Over the past 24 hours, firefighters across the country responded to 101 signals and extinguished 56 fires, according to the Main Directorate "Fire Safety and Protection of the Population."
As the investigation unfolds, our deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of those affected by this tragedy.
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