This year, around 700,000 hectares of forest have already been burned in the EU – almost twice the area of Majorca. The EU Commission today announced that this is the highest figure at this time of year since joint data collection in 2006. “We are far from finished,” a spokesperson for the Brussels authority said in view of the wildfire season. So far, the EU civil protection mechanism has been activated nine times by five countries in response to the fire.
It is not clear which database the Commission is based on. According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), nearly 660,000 hectares had been burned as of 13 August. However, this does not include smaller fires that burned about 30 hectares or less. The data, which also takes into account smaller fires, show that about 715,000 hectares of forest have already been burned.
In the last two months, 29 planes and eight helicopters were deployed across Europe through the EU mechanism to respond to requests for assistance. They would be supported on the ground by 369 firefighters and over 100 vehicles. The procedure allows a country to ask for help when it is saddled with an emergency. The EU Commission then coordinates the support and covers most of the transport and most of the costs.
In addition, around 150 firefighters from Bulgaria, Romania, Germany, France, Finland and Norway were deployed to Greece in July and August. They should support local fire brigades, according to a statement from the European Commission.