Wildfires rage across Bulgaria, destroying forests and homes

SOFIA (Reuters) -Firefighters battled wildfires at nearly 100 locations across Bulgaria on Sunday, with houses burned and residents evacuated, local media reported.

A fire at the foot of the Pirin mountain in southwestern Bulgaria was spreading across thousands of acres of forest, Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) reported.

Another fire in the town of Simitli destroyed several houses as it spread towards the Maleshevo Mountain.

More than 200 firefighters sent to the area on Saturday were pulled out because high winds were putting their lives in danger, authorities said, adding they expected air support from other EU countries.

In western Bulgaria, a fire which broke out on Saturday and quickly spread across the border into Serbia on Sunday along the Miloslavska mountain range, almost burned the village Rani Lug to the ground, Nova television reported.

"It's a merciless tragedy," emergency volunteer Zvezdelin Vlaykov said as huge clouds of smoke rose over the hills. "In all my years of firefighting, I've never seen anything like it."

Authorities said three villages had been evacuated and the fire had caused significant damage.

In a statement, the Interior Ministry described Bulgaria's wildfire situation as "dynamic and severe".

On Sunday afternoon, a large fire broke out in the village of Kozarevo in the southeastern province of Yambol, burning several houses, BNR reported.

Countries in southeast Europe have experienced record temperatures over the past week, with many located in an area dubbed "a wildfire hotspot" by scientists.

(Reporting by Stoyan Nenov, writing by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Giles Elgood)