Flames burn trees during a forest fire near Belin-Beliet in Gironde, south-western France. Picture: Philippe Lopez/AFP
German, Greek, Polish, Austrian and Romanian firefighters are being sent to aid their exhausted French counterparts to fight a blaze south of Bordeaux which has reignited after being brought under control two weeks ago, the European Commission said on Thursday.
The deployment was announced after France called for aid and was hailed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who tweeted "Thank you. European solidarity is at work!"
French authorities have also requested data from the EU's Copernicus satellite on burnt areas, according to the commission.
The German media outlet, Deutsche Welle (DW), reported last week that Germany had sent a specialised contingent of firefighters from Bonn, Düsseldorf, Leverkusen, Königswinter and Ratingen to France, according to the western city of Bonn, with firefighters from the state of Lower Saxony accompanying them.
Along with firefighters, France will also receive four firefighting aircraft stationed in Greece and Sweden.
DW reported that more than 1 000 firefighters, rescue workers, and rangers were battling to contain widespread wildfires raging across the south-western Gironde region for a third day.
An estimated 10 000 people were forced to flee their homes after fires destroyed 6 800 hectares of land.
"It's an ogre, a monster," said Gregory Allione from the French firefighter body, FNSPF.
On Thursday, France's Environment Minister Christophe Bechu told the newspaper Liberation that "what we have experienced here is unprecedented".
After evacuation orders were given by French authorities, Macron said in a tweet that “10 000 French firefighters and civil protection workers are currently battling fires across the country.”
Several large forest fires have also hit France's northern regions this summer as the country experiences a particularly bad fire season amid often abnormally high temperatures.
According to EU figures, more than 57 000ha of land have burnt this year, compared to around 30 000ha in 2021.
Climate scientists say fires and droughts would become more common as the Earth warms because of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere by industry and other human activities.
Fires are also raging in Spain and Portugal.
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