The city of Sofia, Bulgaria, fined more than 300 people on Monday for not clearing snow from the pavement or icicles from buildings after a record day of low temperatures and blizzard-like conditions, according to media reports.
The Sofia Echo newspaper reported that five people died across the country, including a 62-year-old man, due to the low temperatures, which were between 5 and 10 degrees Fahrenheit.
Across the country, more than 450 schools and other municipal buildings were closed due to the poor weather conditions, according to the Novinite news agency. The blizzard-like conditions left thousands of people without electricity and left highways inaccessible.
Dr. Martin Ivanov spoke on Bulgarian television in an attempt to dispel the myth that drinking alcohol warms people up when temperatures are extremely cold. “The feeling that alcohol helps is deceptive,” Ivanov said, according to the Echo. “It leads to more rapid onset of cooling of the body.”
