The European Commission has activated its emergency firefighting fleet, known as “rescEU,” to assist France and Spain in managing extensive forest fires, according to reports from the BBC. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, provided an update detailing the impact of the fires. She reported that in France, five firefighting aircraft and two helicopters belonging to the fleet were destroyed.
Additionally, four more aircraft arrived in Spain during the night. On the social media platform X, von der Leyen expressed her support for the personnel combating the blaze and those who were evacuated. Meanwhile, Francisco Martin, the representative of the Spanish government in the Madrid region, confirmed that approximately 70,000 people had been evacuated due to the fires affecting the regions of Madrid and Avila.
The deployment of the rescEU resources underscores the cross-border effort to combat the widespread environmental crisis impacting both nations. The presence of specialized aircraft and helicopters is crucial as firefighting efforts continue across multiple regions in both France and Spain. Authorities are coordinating resources to manage the scale of the disaster while ensuring the safety of affected populations.
Topics: #aircraft #france #spain
