The EU has sent firefighting planes to France and Portugal due to large-scale wildfires
The European Union has sent specialized firefighting aircraft to assist France and Portugal.
Following a period of extreme heat, numerous wildfires have broken out in these countries, which local emergency services are currently battling with the support of European partners.
The European Union has sent specialized firefighting aircraft to assist France and Portugal—after both countries activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism late last week in response to the ongoing fires, which have already devastated thousands of hectares of land.
Four specialized aircraft—from Sweden and Cyprus—have been dispatched to France and are expected to arrive in the affected area as early as Monday.
Portugal, which submitted a request as early as Friday, received more than a hundred firefighters and 45 pieces of equipment from Spain almost immediately; three special-purpose aircraft from Italy and Spain have also arrived.
Overall, a record number of firefighters are being deployed this year as a preventive measure to effectively respond to wildfires in areas where the risk is highest — 777 firefighters from 14 EU countries have already been deployed or will soon be deployed to such areas in Greece, Cyprus, Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal.
A fleet of 22 specialized aircraft and five helicopters is also on standby.
This was reported by the European Commission’s press service, according to “European Truth.”
Nearly 3,000 people have been evacuated due to fires in southern France.
Emergency services remain on high alert and are urging residents and tourists to stay away from areas where firefighting operations are underway and to follow all instructions from local authorities, according to France24.
In France, officials estimate that the extreme heat may have caused more than 2,000 deaths in a single week. According to preliminary estimates, a significant number of these deaths may be directly linked to prolonged exposure to abnormally high temperatures.
