The National Committee for Emergency Situations announced a two-week extension of Romania’s participation in the support mission for extinguishing vegetation and forest fires in France. The approval, announced on Monday, July 27, followed a request made by the French authorities through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism. As such, the Romanian firefighters will continue to operate alongside international teams to limit the effects of the vegetation fires and protect the communities located in the risk areas.
“Under the coordination of the Department for Emergency Situations (DSU), the mission will continue through the replacement of the contingent currently in France with a new contingent of firefighters from the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU), which will take over the operational responsibilities in the areas affected by the fires. The decision reflects Romania’s solidarity with its European partners and its commitment to contributing to the management of emergencies within the framework of the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism,” authorities said in the press release. France has seen catastrophic wildfires, with some burning for almost a week.
Nearly 250,000 people have been evacuated from southwestern France, while the flames continue to threaten the area around Bordeaux. At least 240 homes have been destroyed, 75 firefighters have been injured, and residents and farmers are fighting the fire together with the intervention teams, according to ProTV. Fed by winds and dry vegetation, the fires in the Gironde region are some of the largest since the Second World War.
To counter them, France has allocated all available internal resources, dozens of aircraft and helicopters, and, for the first time, a military transport plane specially adapted for firefighting. The French armed forces deployed 1,500 soldiers in support of the firefighters. At the end of June, Romania dispatched 40 firefighters to France to help extinguish the flames until mid-July, when they were replaced by a second team of 40 personnel.
In a post on the X network, president Emmanuel Macron thanked the Romanian firefighters for the help they provided. Fires are also ongoing in Spain and in southern Italy. radu@romania-insider.com (Photo source: Departamentul pentru Situaţii de Urgenţă on Facebook)
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