Ukrainian rescue workers will help France fight forest fires
Ukraine has sent a combined detachment of State Emergency Service (SES) rescue workers to France to assist in fighting the large-scale wildfires that have engulfed certain regions of the country. Ukrainian specialists will assist French emergency services in extinguishing the fires and conducting rescue operations.
The State Emergency Service noted that if the situation worsens, Ukraine is prepared to send additional State Emergency Service aircraft to France to support the forest firefighting operation.
At the request of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and within the framework of the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism, 70 SES rescuers and 15 units of specialized equipment have been dispatched to the French Republic.
The day before, Vyhovsky held an online conversation with French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, during which the parties discussed the work of the Ukrainian team on French territory. “If additional assistance is needed, we are ready to deploy State Emergency Service aircraft to help fight forest fires,” the Minister of Internal Affairs noted.
Vygivsky thanked his French counterpart for his high praise of the work of Ukrainian rescue workers and for his willingness to further develop cooperation between the ministries.
According to the minister, Ukrainian emergency responders have unique experience working in extreme conditions. Every day, they deal with the aftermath of Russian shelling, extinguish large-scale fires, conduct search-and-rescue operations, and work in areas of constant danger.
This was reported with reference to Ukrainian Interior Minister Ivan Vyhovsky.
The French Prime Minister has postponed his vacation due to massive wildfires.
More than 300,000 people have been evacuated in France and Spain due to massive wildfires that have engulfed regions of Southern Europe. In southwestern France, in the Gironde region, more than 220,000 residents have left their homes. The fire there has spread across approximately 32,700 hectares.
As a reminder, French passengers who purchased train tickets to the region around Bordeaux will be able to exchange or refund them free of charge. This decision was made due to the large-scale wildfires that have complicated the situation in the area.
