To deal with the devastating flames, reinforcements are on the way.

Four water bomber planes from the EU fleet have been sent to France from Greece and Sweden.

This reinforcement comes following a request from the French authorities while forest fires are ravaging the south-west of the country in particular, the European Commission announced on Thursday.

In addition, firefighting teams from Germany, Poland, Austria and Romania are on their way to support French firefighters under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, the Commission said.

"The EU stands in full solidarity when a country is confronted with an emergency situation," said European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic in a statement.

“European solidarity is at work!

“, welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron in a tweet announcing this European aid.

Germany, Greece, Poland, and in the next few hours Romania and Austria: our partners are coming to the aid of France in the face of the fires.

Thanks to them.

European solidarity is at work!

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 11, 2022

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Satellites, firefighters and bombers

Greece will dispatch two Canadair and Sweden two Air Tractor “during the day”, specified the French presidency.

On the land side, Germany is sending 64 firefighters and 24 vehicles, expected from Thursday evening, she added.

The Polish reinforcements - 146 firefighters and 49 vehicles - will arrive Friday at midday.

The Commission also clarified that the EU's Copernicus satellite had been activated by Paris to collect essential data for first responders on burnt areas.

Thousands of firefighters are currently fighting in France against new blazes in forests completely dried out by heat waves and the historic lack of rain.

On Wednesday evening, eight major fires were burning in France, in Gironde (southwest), Maine-et-Loire (west), Jura (east), Drôme, Aveyron and Lozère (southeast), not to mention countless smaller fire starts every day from north to south of the country.

A man indicted for the fire between Lozère and Aveyron

Planet

Gironde: The fires resume so violently, because the forest has become a real "field of matches"

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