The Living Fire is a natural phenomenon due to the emanation of natural gases that come to the surface through cracks in the earth's crust forming burning flames, ignited by the sun's rays (or by people if the flame goes out).
Location[ change | edit source ]
In the Subcarpathians of Buzăului on the western slope of the Breazău peak [ 1 ] , located on the left of the Slănicului valley to the NNE of the village of Terca ( Lopătari Commune ) in Buzău County , at an altitude of approximately 1030 m [ 2 ] .
general information[ change | edit source ]
The foundation for the emergence of the phenomenon is represented by the existence of underground hydrocarbon deposits .
Characteristic elements[ change | edit source ]
Flames can be seen bursting from the earth rising in the wind , sometimes with a greater height, sometimes barely flickering - it depends very much on the pressure of the gases inside and the state of the weather: they may as well be temporarily extinguished.
If it rains heavily you can see how the water bubbles in the places where the gas comes out .
The area where the phenomenon occurs has the relative surface of a room - 25 square meters.
Accession[ change | edit source ]
It is reached [ 3 ] [ 4 ] using the road from the Slănic valley – DJ 203 K, which starts from the DN2 (E85) from Mărăcineni towards Săpoca (immediately before entering the bridge over Buzău ), following the route Beceni - Vintilă Voda - Manzălești - Lopătari - Terca . The road is paved until Lopătari . From Lopătari , however, the access to the tourist objective continues on an unpaved road of approximately 7 km with the degraded embankment, lacking indicators. In relative proximity to Focurile Vii, the road becomes accessible only to large trucks and forestry tractors.
From the place where you can go as far as possible with a small car, you initially go along the water line to a bridge on the right, the road after the place in question being impassable afterwards. From here you have to cross Slănic on the left bank to go up the coast of the hills .
The area of the fires is quite small and can be easily missed, as the route is not marked. The road can be reached in about 30-35 minutes, but with wanderings and detours it can take 45-55 minutes.
Origin of the name[ change | edit source ]
The name comes from the fact that the flames burn almost permanently, being sometimes visible from afar, especially at night and during the periods when the foliage of the stands is low.