Professional Teams from EU Countries Provide Help for Dealing with Fires

Defence Minister Radmila Sekerinska wrote on Facebook that Romania will deploy one airplane C-27 with great capacity for interventions over wildfires. The airplane, with capacity for holding up to 6 tonnes of water, arrived on Saturday morning in the country, and intervene over the fires in the areas around Delcevo, Pehcevo and Berovo, where the situation is most critical. In meantime, the 96 volunteer firefighters that were deployed from Austria few days ago have been withdrawn and replaced with 114 new ones. Assistance in form of teams of firefighters and vehicles also came from Slovenia and Bulgaria, and more help is awaited from France and Sweden. The assistance from EU countries was welcomed and praised by EU Ambassador David Geer. “Great news that a firefighting plane together with logistic support provided by Romania will land shortly in Skopje. This support comes through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism which is coordinating assistance from Austria, Bulgaria, Slovenia and now Romania as well as providing satellite support. I should like to pay tribute to all the domestic & international firefighters, as well as local citizens and services involved, working together to bring the fires under control,” Geer said in interview with Sitel TV. The government of Serbia also deployed four helicopters for interventions over forest fires, but after the greatest fires were localised, they headed on Sunday towards Greece to assist the efforts for putting out of the fires in the area around Athens. Deputy PM Nikola Dimitrov thanked via Twitter all countries that deployed teams to help with the situation with the fires int eh country. US Ambassador Kate Marie Byrnes expressed gratitude to all firefighters, soldiers, police officers and other volunteers and citizens from the country and abroad that are dealing with the forest fires around the country. “We are saddened by the horrible photographs of the fires that come from terrain, but we are thankful for the efforts made by all firefighters and all others who are making super-human efforts to prevent further disasters. You are the real heroes,” Byrnes wrote on Facebook.