Photo by Filippos Sdralias on Unsplash
Wildfires continue to affect multiple European countries this summer.
Wildfires fanned by strong winds raged in parts of Greece and the Balkans this week, burning forests and homes while forcing the evacuation of a resort town in Albania.
The region has seen above-average temperatures and dry conditions over the past month that have created ideal conditions for wildfires.
In response, the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre is working 24/7 to channel assistance to help tackle the blazes.
Currently, both Bulgaria and North Macedonia are receiving EU assistance following requests to activate the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in recent weeks. In Bulgaria, a total of 10 airplanes and 2 helicopters have been deployed overall to support the country since it requested help on 15 July. Two Canadairs from the rescEU reserve from Spain are operating in Bulgaria.
In North Macedonia, 3 helicopters and 6 airplanes have been deployed overall to North Macedonia via the Mechanism since it requested help on 30 July.
Four rescEU reserve airplanes from Cyprus and Germany are operating in North Macedonia, with an additional availability of a helicopter from Slovenia which will start the operations on 10 August.
The EU’s Copernicus emergency satellite mapping system is also providing support to Greece, following a recent fire on the island of Crete.
The Commission says it is constantly monitoring the situation across Europe and stands ready to provide further help if requested.
Moreover, to boost preparedness measures for this summer fire season, the European Commission has set up the rescEU and European Civil Protection Pool whose aerial capacities now include 28 airplanes and 4 helicopters stationed in 10 Member States, available this year to support firefighters across the continent.
Secondly, more than 540 firefighters from 12 countries are strategically prepositioned across key locations in Europe, in France, Greece, Portugal, and Spain, ready to help local fire brigades if forest fires break out.
The 2023 wildfire season in the Europe was among the worst this century, according to a European Commission report published on Wednesday.
Last year, according to a Reuters report, more than half a million (504,002) hectares, an area twice the size of Luxembourg, was scorched by wildfires, according to a report on Forest Fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa 2023 by the Commission’s Joint Research Centre.
The three worst years this century by the extent of burnt area mapped by the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) were 2017 (988,427 ha), 2022 (837,212 ha) and 2007 (588,388 ha), according to Reuters.
