Fires kill two people in southern Bulgaria

SOFIA, Bulgaria, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- At least two people were killed during the weekend when fires swept southern Bulgaria, destroying dozens of houses and acres of forests, media said Monday.

Regional authorities declared a state of emergency Sunday near the towns of Topolovgrad and Svilendgrad, close to the borders with Greece and Turkey, the Bulgarian news agency SNA reported.

Mentally ill patients at a facility in the Radovets village and residents of the nearby town of Filipovo were evacuated.

A number of people, including firefighters, suffered minor burns, SNA said.