The illegal home for the elderly in Bankya, in which one person died and three were injured in a fire, is owned by a company that has registered an animal boarding facility at a different address, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy Lazar Lazarov told BNT.

He stated that it is unclear how the illegal care home was registered, emphasizing that this type of activity should be criminalized because currently the penalties are only administrative. "Once the relevant fine is imposed, there are cases where they continue to provide this service. We go again and impose another fine", said Deputy Minister Lazarov. According to him, there is another scenario: "The facility is shut down, but then it opens in another location, either nearby or in a different area."

Lazar Lazarov added that neither the owner nor the company can be identified, as the provided identification code corresponds to the animal boarding facility.

• One dead and three injured in a fire in illegal home for elderly people in Bankya