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Wildfires continued to spread across southern Europe on Sunday and Monday, forcing a major emergency response as France and Portugal sought assistance through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism.
The European Commission has mobilised firefighting aircraft and personnel to help contain the blazes, which have burned thousands of hectares across France, Portugal, Greece, Spain and parts of the Balkans.
France activated the EU mechanism on July 5 after multiple fires broke out. The Commission dispatched four rescEU firefighting aircraft from Sweden and Cyprus to support operations.
Portugal requested EU assistance on July 3. In response, Spain sent 118 firefighters and 45 vehicles, while three rescEU firefighting aircraft from Italy and Spain were deployed to battle the fires.
The Commission said it has pre-positioned a record 777 firefighters from 14 European countries in wildfire-prone areas across Cyprus, Greece, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. In addition, 22 firefighting aircraft and five helicopters are on standby for emergency deployments.
In southwestern France, a major wildfire in the Pyrenees-Orientales department continued to burn after erupting on Saturday. Around 750 firefighters, 200 vehicles and nine water-bombing aircraft were deployed to contain the blaze, which has an 18-kilometre fire front.
The fire has left a firefighter and a local resident in critical condition. Authorities warned the blaze could disrupt Monday’s Tour de France stage, with organisers considering route adjustments if needed.
Another wildfire in France’s southeastern Drôme department drew around 300 firefighters as crews worked to prevent the flames from spreading.
In Portugal, a large wildfire in the Vouzela region has burned about 12,000 hectares since Thursday. More than 1,200 firefighters, nearly 400 vehicles and 15 aircraft have been deployed. Officials said the fire was partially contained by Sunday, although several hotspots remained.
The European Commission has warned that July and August pose an extreme wildfire risk across much of the continent, with hot, dry weather increasing the likelihood of more large-scale fires in the coming weeks.
