Greece receives aerial firefighting support
A number of countries are offering aerial firefighting support to Greece in response to the country’s ongoing wildfires
Cyprus and Croatia have supplied three additional aircraft via the European Union’s rescEU mutual support initiative – providing two Air Tractors, and one CL-415, respectively. The new rescEU aircraft join four CL-415s already in the country under the same initiative – two are Italian, while the other two are French.
Turkey has also announced that it is sending two amphibious fixed-wing aircraft and a helicopter to assist in firefighting efforts, following a statement on 21 July by the Turkish government’s Directorate of Communication.
Israel has also sent two Elad planes to support wildfire fighting operations – confirmed in a joint statement by the Israeli National Security Ministry, Israel Fire and Rescue Services, and Israel Police.
In a statement, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis thanked the countries that have responded to Greece’s request for help, adding that ‘rescEU and the EU Civil Protection Mechanism have once more proved their immense value in times of need’.
Additional ground-based support is being provided by countries such as Bulgaria, Malta, and Romania.
Greece is currently experiencing intense wildfires, particularly in the islands of Corfu and Rhodes, due to an ongoing heatwave that has seen temperatures exceed 40°C. In Rhodes, nearly 20,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and hotels, while around 2,500 people have been evacuated from Corfu at the time of writing.
The country is currently looking to develop a new aerial firefighting fleet of its own to tackle the growing problem of summer wildfires.