Festive Season mayhem took a holiday in Bulgaria on Christmas Eve, by and large, barring a serious incident in which a fireplace exploded, leaving one man in critical condition.
 
The cause of the fireplace incident, which happened in Shoumen, northern Bulgaria, was still being investigated on Christmas morning.
 
Five men were injured, among them a 28-year-old man who was severely burned and in danger of his life, Bulgarian news agency Focus said. The others were treated variously for burns and smoke inhalation.

On December 25, the Interior Ministry said that one person had died the previous night in a road accident, There had been 16 road accidents in the country, in which 21 people were injured, of whom two were in critical condition. In Sofia, there were two serious road accidents and 87 minor ones. Two people were injured.

Separately, Civil Defence said that no serious incidents had been reported overnight in Bulgaria. Tradition is that Christmas Eve is spent at home with family.
 
Abroad, the Spanish research vessel Las Palmas was reported to have reached port in Argentina, having earlier broken down while returning from Antarctica. Its passengers included two Bulgarians returning from St Kliment Ohridski base on Livingston Island.
 
The ship made it to port using a reserve engine. The ship reportedly had engine trouble while passing through a turbulent strait.
 
In Bulgaria, the weather forecast for Christmas Day was for temperatures higher than usual for the season, in places up to 14 deg C while in Sofia a high of 12 Deg C was predicted.
 
Major roads were reportedly wet and motorists were urged to proceed with caution. Fog was reducing visibility in Karnobat, Gotse Delchev, Topolovgrad and Aitos.
 
Some mountain passes were closed, according to Focus: Troyan-Karnare, Arabakonak, Tvarditsa-Elena, Etropole-Zlatitsa and the Varbitsa Pass, as well as the Shipka – Buzludha Peak road.