European Union deploys four aircraft to fight forest fires in southern France

Brussels, July 6 (KUNA) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyan announced on Monday that the European Union is deploying four aircraft from the RescEU fleet to combat forest fires, in support of French authorities’ efforts to tackle blazes erupting in the country’s south. Von der Leyan stated on the social media platform X that “fires are consuming southern France, and Europe is moving,” adding that four specialized firefighting aircraft would arrive today from Cyprus and Sweden to bolster French firefighting teams around the city of Perpignan. This move comes as firefighters continue to battle a large fire that broke out in southwestern France near the Spanish border, forcing the evacuation of more than 10,000 people. French authorities noted that hundreds of firefighters are involved in combating the flames, which have swept over more than 19,000 hectares of land, as part of a wave of fires affecting France, Portugal, Spain, and Greece. (End) A.R.N. / F.S.