Planes, helicopters, crews: how Europe struggles to contain a record wildfire season
Wildfires are putting pressure on firefighting capacity across Europe, forcing countries to move planes, helicopters and crews across borders as multiple fires burn at the same time. Serbia is using help from both Russia and the EU, while teams in Ankara brought a large fire under control in a forested area on Monday morning after an eight-hour operation.As of August 19, fires had burned 619,298 hectares across the EU, more than double the average of 280,045 hectares between 2006 and 2025 at the same time of year, according to the EU Joint Research Centre. The European Commission has described this summer’s operation as the bloc’s largest ever response to wildfires, with 777 firefighters from 14 countries prepositioned in high-risk areas along with 22 firefighting aircraft and five helicopters.
Serbia adds EU support after Russian deployment
Serbian authorities said Sunday that the fire in Deliblatska Pescara, a protected nature reserve where fires had burned for weeks, had been located and extinguished, and that crews were continuing to protect themselves against the flare-ups. The fire on Mount Stolovi, near Kraljevo, was reported to be under control on Sunday, after inaccessible terrain complicated extinguishing operations.Serbia had initially sought help from Moscow after its Interior Ministry said there were no firefighting aircraft “of this capacity” available through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. An IL-76P firefighting aircraft of the Russian Emergencies Ministry arrived in Niš on August 19 and began operating over Deliblatska Pescara the next day.At the time, Serbia had not activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, although the bloc said it was ready to provide assistance appropriate to conditions on the ground. Belgrade subsequently activated the mechanism, incorporating EU aircraft and ground equipment into an operation that already had the support of Russia.The EU sent four RescEU Black Hawk helicopters to Serbia: two from the Czech Republic, one from Slovakia and one from Romania. A 69-member Romanian firefighting and rescue team with 15 vehicles also joined the response, while teams from Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic participated in firefighting operations on Sunday.Earlier in the summer, Serbia had contributed to Europe’s cross-border response by sending a firefighting helicopter and emergency personnel to help fight fires in Spain through the same EU mechanism. He later sought international help when fires spread in his country.
The Russian deployment required special authorization because EU sanctions imposed after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine generally exclude Russian aircraft from the bloc’s airspace. EU and NATO member Bulgaria authorized the IL-76P to cross its airspace under a humanitarian firefighting exception after Belgrade requested permission, according to Bulgaria’s Transport Ministry.The European Commission told Reuters there could be no “business as usual” with Moscow as long as Russia continued its war in Ukraine. Serbia continues to seek EU membership but has not joined the sanctions imposed on Russia over the war, although it maintains long-standing ties with Moscow.
Fire in Ankara contained after eight-hour operation
The fire in Ankara broke out on Sunday afternoon in a forested area of Mamak, on the eastern outskirts of the Turkish capital, and spread over a large area. Firefighters brought it under control after about eight hours early on Monday, as cooling operations continued to prevent new outbreaks, according to Anadolu Agency.Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas said 47 vehicles and 148 personnel were deployed, supported by 20 municipal tankers and four pieces of heavy machinery. The Ankara governor’s office said authorities had detained a person they identified as responsible for starting the fire, while the investigation into the circumstances of the fire continued.The Ankara fire comes amid a broader series of investigations into forest fires across Türkiye. Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said legal proceedings had been opened over 73 forest fires in 25 provinces since June 1, and authorities identified 46 suspects, arrested 12 and placed 21 under judicial supervision.Although the Deliblatska Pescara fire had been extinguished and the Ankara fire contained, teams continued to monitor affected areas for outbreaks while firefighting resources remained deployed across the region. Overlapping emergencies have forced planes, helicopters and personnel to cross borders as authorities remain alert for new outbreaks.
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