Romanian firefighters aiding Greek authorities extinguish wildfires near Athens

Romanian firefighters stationed in Greece have been active, trying to extinguish a wildfire of dry vegetation and forest that broke out northwest of Athens earlier this week.

The firefighters used four trucks and a tanker with 30 tons of water on their most recent mission. Their attempts are hindered by the high temperature and the strong winds blowing at high speed.

"For more than three hours, the Romanian firefighters have been assisting their Greek counterparts in extinguishing a wildfire of dry vegetation and forest in the area of Aspropyrgos - northwest of Athens, under the coordination of the host country's liaison officer. The tasks performed by the module's personnel consist of protecting residential buildings and maintaining a protective line between the firefront and the unaffected area. To manage the intervention efficiently, our colleagues are using 4 firefighting trucks and 1 tanker with a capacity of 30 tons of water," the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) announced on Tuesday evening, July 18.

The firefighters' missions are carried out under extreme conditions. The high temperature and the speed of the wind make it difficult for the rescuers to operate effectively on the field.

According to the cited source, the module's intervention was requested by the Greek liaison officer, who was delegated to assist and ensure the smooth execution of the entire mission carried out by the Romanian rescuers.

Forty Romanian firefighters are currently assisting the Greek authorities in their current fight against vegetation fires.

Romanian authorities recently announced that more firefighters will be sent to Greece after prime minister Marcel Ciolacu convened the National Committee for Emergency Situations. Forty more specialist firefighters will join those already in Greece. Thirty of them will travel by air using an aircraft from the National Ministry of Defense, while the remaining ten will travel by land with specific intervention means, including three forest firefighting vehicles, one 10,000-liter tanker, and one 4x4 vehicle (Duster).

(Photo source: IGSU on Facebook)