Wildfires are stretching firefighting capacity across Europe, forcing countries to move aircraft, helicopters and crews across borders as several blazes burn at the same time. Serbia is using both Russian and EU assistance, while crews in Ankara brought a large wooded-area fire under control early Monday after an eight-hour operation.By August 19, fires had burned 619,298 hectares across the EU, more than twice the 2006-2025 average of 280,045 hectares for the same point in the year, according to the EU’s Joint Research Centre. The European Commission has described this summer’s operation as the bloc’s largest-ever wildfire response, with 777 firefighters from 14 countries pre-positioned in high-risk areas alongside 22 firefighting planes and five helicopters.
Serbia adds EU support after Russian deployment
Serbian authorities said on Sunday that the fire at Deliblatska Pescara, a protected nature reserve where blazes had burned for weeks, had been localised and extinguished, with crews continuing to guard against flare-ups. The fire on Mt Stolovi near Kraljevo was reported under control by Sunday, after inaccessible terrain had complicated firefighting operations.Serbia had initially sought Moscow’s help after its interior ministry said no firefighting aircraft “of this capacity” was available through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. A Russian Emergencies Ministry IL-76P firefighting aircraft arrived in Nis on August 19 and began operating over Deliblatska Pescara the next day.At that point, Serbia had not activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, although the bloc said it was ready to provide assistance suited to conditions on the ground. Belgrade subsequently activated the mechanism, bringing EU aircraft and ground crews into an operation that already included Russian support.The EU sent four rescEU Black Hawk helicopters to Serbia — two from the Czech Republic and one each from Slovakia and 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 were involved in firefighting operations by Sunday.Earlier in the summer, Serbia had contributed to Europe’s cross-border response by sending a firefighting helicopter and emergency personnel to help tackle fires in Spain through the same EU mechanism. It later sought international assistance as fires spread at home.
Bulgaria clears Russian plane under humanitarian exception
The Russian deployment required special clearance because EU sanctions imposed after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine generally bar Russian aircraft from the bloc’s airspace. Bulgaria, an EU and Nato member, authorised 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 that there could be no “business as usual” with Moscow while Russia continued its war in Ukraine. Serbia continues to seek EU membership but has not joined sanctions imposed on Russia over the war, while maintaining longstanding ties with Moscow.
Ankara blaze contained after eight-hour operation
The fire in Ankara broke out on Sunday evening in a wooded area of Mamak on the eastern outskirts of the Turkish capital and spread across a large area. Firefighters brought it under control after about eight hours early Monday, while cooling operations continued to prevent fresh flare-ups, 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 an investigation into the circumstances of the blaze continued.The Ankara fire comes amid a wider series of investigations into forest fires across Turkey. Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said legal proceedings had been opened over 73 forest fires in 25 provinces since June 1, with authorities identifying 46 suspects, arresting 12 and placing 21 under judicial supervision.Although the Deliblatska Pescara fire had been extinguished and the Ankara blaze contained, crews continued monitoring affected areas for flare-ups as firefighting resources remained deployed across the region. The overlapping emergencies have kept aircraft, helicopters and personnel moving across borders as authorities remain alert for fresh outbreaks.
