Romani Infant Dies in Fire in Bulgaria after Electricity Cut in Settlement

01 February 2006

According to the Sofia-based Romani Baht Foundation, on May 24, 2005, a 13-month-old Romani infant died in a fire in Sofia's Fakulteta Romani district. The infant's father, 22- year-old Dimitar Metodiev, also suffered severe injuries when a beam fell on him as he tried to save the baby. The fire was reportedly started from a lit candle while Ms Metodieva was outside doing laundry. A curtain caught fire and the entire house quickly burst into flames. The family's electricity had been disconnected at the beginning of April 2005 because they had failed to pay their electricity bill for the month of February of 428.81 Bulgarian leva (around 200 EUR). Mr Metodiev was hospitalised for treatment as a result of his injuries.

(Romani Baht Foundation)