Mandrica village in Bulgaria, inhabited by Albanians for 400 years, in danger of disappearing from the flames

 Mandrica village with flames nearby

 The powerful fires that have engulfed a good part of Europe have also endangered the village inhabited by Albanians in Bulgaria, Mandrica, yesterday. According to local media, the cause of the fire is still unclear, while residents reject the possibility of an electrical spark because there was no electricity in the entire village.

The fire burned only old, uninhabited houses, while everything else was saved.

"Crews will remain on duty overnight. So far the situation is under control, for which we should be very grateful to the complex in the village, as the firefighters were taking the water out of the pool. Many locals, volunteers from Ivailovgrad, and the team of Bukor Stepi helped all the time" say, residents, according to local media.

Mandrica

The village of Mandrica

Mandricais isa village in southernmost Bulgaria, part of Ivaylovgrad municipality, Haskovo Province. It is known as the only Albanian village in Bulgaria. 
 

Today, Mandritsa is a small village of around 70 residents, part of them still speaking a distinct Tosk Albanian dialect. The village has well-preserved three-storey adobe and brick houses which represent the Thracian style featuring wood-carved ceilings, wrought iron balconies and columns.