European Union Deploys Firefighters and Helicopters to Assist Serbia with Wildfires

The European Union has deployed helicopters and firefighters to help Serbia combat a massive wildfire in a nature reserve in the northeast of the country. Serbia activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism on Friday after struggling for weeks with a blaze in Deliblatska Pescara, a unique area of sand dunes and woods located approximately 80 kilometers from Belgrade. Other major fires are also active in the southwest of the country within the Stolovi mountain range.

According to Luka Causic, head of the Serbian Department for Emergencies, the European aid includes four Black Hawk firefighting helicopters from Romania, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. Additionally, Germany is providing 55 firefighters and 24 vehicles, while Romania is contributing 69 firefighters and 15 vehicles. Romanian and Slovakian helicopters joined the effort on Saturday, with Czech aircraft expected on Sunday and the German team arriving on Monday.

Although Serbia is not a member of the EU, it has access to emergency assistance through the Civil Protection Mechanism. In a reciprocal gesture earlier this summer, Belgrade sent a firefighting helicopter and emergency response team to Spain. Russia has also provided assistance, with an IL-76P firefighting plane from the Russian Emergencies Ministry landing in the city of Nis on Wednesday. The Deliblatska Pescara fire has destroyed thousands of hectares of pine forest since late July.

Luka Causic stated that while the situation was more stable on Saturday, the priority remains the protection of human lives and settlements due to expected strong winds. Meanwhile, a separate major wildfire is affecting the municipality of Strumica in neighboring North Macedonia, where reports indicate at least one house caught fire in the village of Sofilar.