Romania sends firefighters to aid France in battling wildfires

Romania has sent a team of 77 firefighters to aid France's efforts to battle the wildfires in the southwestern part of the country.

It comes after France sent a request for help through the European Civil Protection Mechanism. Germany, Greece, Poland, and Austria also sent teams of firefighters.

The European Commission has dispatched four airplanes from its rescEU firefighting fleet positioned in Greece and Sweden, and the EU's Copernicus satellite has been activated by France to collect data vital to first responders on the burned areas.

Two C-17 military aircraft carrying 17 trucks and the teams of firefighters departed from Bucharest and Timișoara on the evening of August 11, the Romanian Government explained.

This year, Romania also sent firefighters to Greece to help with the same issue of wildfires.

More than 1,000 firefighters are battling the flames in the southwestern region of Gironde. Last month, in the same area, a wildfire burned 14,000 hectares before it was contained, according to the BBC. The French Government has called on companies with employees who are enlisted as volunteer firefighters to make them available throughout August.

"Romania continues to honor its international commitments and remains a partner supporting France, just as France in its turn has supported and continues to support the Romanian people on numerous occasions," the Government's announcement reads.

French president Emmanuel Macron and the French firefighters body FNSPF hailed the European support.

L’Allemagne, la Grèce, la Pologne, et dans les prochaines heures la Roumanie et l’Autriche : nos partenaires viennent en aide à la France face aux incendies. Merci à eux. La solidarité européenne est à l’œuvre ! — Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 11, 2022

#Gironde | Une nuit de lutte acharnée contre les feux de forêt. 1/3 de la richesse humaine et des moyens des services d’incendie et de #secours