Fire in Varna/Bulgaria

On August 14, 2007, there was a serious fire in Varna on which national TV and radio stations and newspaper but also Internet services reported. The whole roof of one of Varna’s largest schools - «St. Kiril and Methodius» - was destroyed by fire. The church building of the United Methodist Church in Varna, which was completed a few years ago only, was in great danger because it is the neighboring building. The two roofs are even connected with one another.

The fire was caused by repair works at the roof of the school building. Supported by the wind, the flames approached the church roof - but an invisible hand stopped the fire before starting to destroy the church. The superintendent of the UMC in Bulgaria and pastor of the Varna church, Bedros Altunian, said: «When we attempted to stop the expansion of the fire towards the church with our small portable fire extinguishers, we saw that the fire suddenly stopped before reaching the building. We were spectators of what God’s grace accomplished.»

For Bedros Altunian this is a special miracle: «Today, we understand better than ever the prophetic words which we accepted as God’s message to us from the very beginning - from the groundbreaking till the present time: ‘Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.’ (2 Chronicles 7:15-16) God is faithful!»

Author: Urs Schweizer (based on a report from Supt. Bedros Altunian)
Date: August 17, 2007