(Finance) – To face the older ones fires never registered in the EU, the Emergency Response Coordination Center from the Commission mobilized 11 firefighting aircraft and 1 reserve helicopter rescEU, stationed in 6 Member States. In addition, 6 European countries have contributed 6 ground firefighting teams through the mechanism EU civil protection. More than 81,000 hectares have been burned so far in the Greek region of Alexandroupoli. This fire is the largest in the EU since 2000, when the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) started recording data.
Since when the Greece activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, for the second time this summer, on 20 August, the EU sent 11 rescEU firefighting aircraft stationed in Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Spain and Sweden, 1 Blackhawk helicopter from the Czech Republic, 407 firefighters and 62 vehicles from Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, France, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia.
Furthermore, the service of mapping satellite Copernicus has published 20 maps of affected areas. This assistance follows the EU’s prompt reaction to Greece’s earlier activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. A coordinated deployment involving 9 aircraft, 510 firefighters and 117 vehicles was launched last month to deal with the escalating fires.
Janez LenarcicCommissioner for Crisis Management, said: “We stand in solidarity with Greece as it fights the devastating fires. The European Union’s largest aerial firefighting operation underlines our commitment to swift and effective collective action in times of crisis “Our thoughts are with the people of Greece, and we will continue to work tirelessly to protect lives, property and the environment. EU unity and cooperation are our strongest assets to overcome these challenges.”
The EU Civil Protection Mechanism was also instrumental in responding to this weekend’s explosion in Romania. 12 severe burn patients were transported to Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Norway, fully responding to the request for assistance from the Romania.