EU to deploy 650 firefighters to wildfire high-risk zones

Hundreds of firefighters coming from crossed Europe and complete 20 firefighting aerial vehicles will beryllium pre-positioned successful high-risk locations for wildfires crossed nan bloc this summer, nan European Commission announced connected Monday.

Almost 650 firefighters from 14 European countries are to beryllium deployed successful July and August successful cardinal high-risk locations successful France, Greece, Portugal, and Spain. This is nan highest number since pre-positioning firefighters crossed nan EU was launched successful 2022.

Greece will invited half of those European firefighters pinch teams coming from Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia, France, Moldova, and Romania.

Meanwhile, 22 firefighting aeroplanes and 4 helicopters will beryllium stationed successful 10 different personnel states.

France and Greece will beryllium nan biggest recipients of nan EU-supported summertime fleet, to beryllium coordinated and financed via nan EU Civil Protection Mechanism, pinch 4 mean amphibious aeroplanes each. France will besides person 1 helicopter.

Other countries connected nan receiving extremity of nan summertime fleet see Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden.

Hadja Lahbib, nan EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, said successful a connection that nan EU's "support is tangible and makes a quality connected nan ground".

"Extreme power and wildfires successful Europe person sadly go nan caller normal. I americium gladsome nan EU has much to connection than conscionable words of interest and consolation," she added.

A further 19 crushed firefighting teams, of astir 30 firefighters each, and 1 advisory and appraisal team, are besides fresh to beryllium mobilised by nan EU, while a dedicated wildfire support squad is to beryllium established astatine nan EU's 24/7 Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) to show risks and analyse technological data.

It will bring together 30 experts from EU personnel states arsenic good arsenic different countries participating successful nan Union Civil Protection Mechanism, nan European Natural Hazard Scientific Partnership (ARISTOTLE)​, and unit from nan ERCC.

Greece, which besides tends to beryllium heavy deed each summer, has already announced it will deploy a grounds number of firefighters, including elite units successful high-risk areas, and astir double its drone fleet.

166,000 hectares burnt

Since nan opening of nan year, much than 166,000 hectares person been burnt crossed nan 27 personnel states, astir 3 times nan mean recorded complete nan aforesaid play betwixt 2003 and 2024, according to nan European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

Romania has been nan worst-afflicted EU personnel authorities truthful acold this twelvemonth pinch much than 120,000 hectares reduced to cinders. Authorities person blamed immoderate of nan wildfires connected quality action, including intentional burning to clear fields.

France and Spain travel adjacent but nan 2 countries, which are traditionally much impacted by wildfires, person had different experiences. Nearly 19,000 hectares had been burnt successful France by 20 May, immoderate 2.75 times nan mean of nan past 20 years, while successful Spain, this year's tally is truthful acold little than nan 20-year mean (8,195 hectares vs 13,059).

Last year's cumulative burnt areas reached 383,317 hectares, supra nan mean of nan past 20 years. The astir devastating years of nan past decade were successful 2017 and 2022 erstwhile astir 1 cardinal and conscionable nether 800,000 hectares were razed to nan crushed respectively.

Climate alteration and demographic changes

The dispersed of wildfires successful Europe has been blamed connected ambiance alteration which has led to warmer temperatures, prolonged drought and unpredictable upwind patterns, arsenic good arsenic connected demographic changes that person led to nan desertification of agrarian areas successful favour of municipality centres, meaning nan onshore is nary longer managed successful nan aforesaid way.

The occurrence play has, for instance, been extended beyond nan accepted summertime months and now spans from early May to precocious October while much and much countries successful eastbound and bluish Europe are besides starting to acquisition specified fires.

According to nan European and Global Drought Observatories of nan Commission's Joint Research Centre, location are informing drought conditions successful nan Baltic Sea region, bluish France, Benelux, respective regions of Germany, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, occidental Romania, Bulgaria, and immoderate regions of Greece.

Most of Spain, Italy, and confederate France, however, either don't person drought conditions aliases are successful recovery.