European aid in the face of the worst wave of fires in years in France, with 50,000 devastated and 10,000 firefighters fighting the fire

France yesterday entrusted itself to European aid to deal with the worst wave of fires that has devastated the country in years, which have already destroyed more than 50,000 hectares throughout the country and which

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The president, Emmanuel Macron, who is on vacation at the Bregançon summer residence, announced through the social network Twitter that the more than 10,000 French firefighters deployed in the dozen fires declared in the country will be reinforced with troops from Germany, Greece, Poland, Romania and Austria."Our European partners come to the aid of France in the face of the fires.

Thanks to them.

European solidarity is underway," Macron said. In addition, the Elysee specified that they will also have help from the European Commission, which has been in charge of coordinating the arrival of

, to immediately join the He added that 64 firefighters and 24 vehicles will arrive from Germany this Thursday, 146 troops and 49 vehicles from Poland this Friday and other reinforcements from Austria and Romania are being gathered in those countries to arrive as soon as possible.

In pictures

Fires.

Flames engulf southwestern France

• Writing: MERCEDES R. LOEB

Flames engulf southwestern France

Generally, France usually contributes planes and firefighters to extinction aid in other countries, but this time it has been hit hard by the wave of fires that the country's authorities directly link to

.

Drought and record temperatures

The country is facing a deep drought and record temperatures, which is contributing to aggravate the situation. The main focus of concern is the department of Gironde, in the southwest, which so far this summer concentrates almost half of the area that has burned in the country.

After the fire that devastated 12,000 hectares in July, the flames were rekindled last Tuesday and there are already another 7,400 that have been consumed by the flames, which has forced the eviction of some 10,000 people from their homes.

The Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne, went there this Thursday, accompanied by the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, where she pointed out that the violence of the Gironde fire may imply a "criminal origin", although she asked that the result be waited for. end of the investigations. Until now, the firefighters pointed out that the fire would have reignited after the flames of last July had been buried and with the increase in temperatures in recent days.

The head of government met with the mayors of the affected area, who asked for more material and human resources. Before them, she defended the deployed device, "the largest ever launched to fight a fire" and in which there are nine aerial devices, which there will be eleven starting tomorrow".

The means that arrive from other European countries will serve to reinforce the device, but also to give respite to the firefighters who have been without rest for weeks. Sources from the Elysée specified that the requests for help are not made directly to each country but to Brussels, and each country proposes its help according to its capacities.

As a result of the fire, which spreads south of Bordeaux, the A63 motorway, which leads to the border with Spain, is experiencing intermittent traffic cuts, particularly for trucks.

The smoke caused makes visibility difficult, which is why the border with Spain has also been intermittently closed to carriers, while alternative routes are proposed in the vicinity of Bordeaux to avoid the most affected area. Two firefighters have died while fighting against the fire, although none of them were victims of the flames, according to the authorities.

Macron paid tribute to them, calling "heroes" those who fight against the fire.

Fire devours trees in Belin-Beliet, in the Gironde region of southwestern France.CAROLINE BLUMBERGEFE

arson

Darmanin indicated that nine out of ten fire starts have a human origin, as happened in the

, in southeastern France, where a farmer is charged after the authorities considered that the fire was caused by work he was doing in the field with a machine.

In that area, some 700 hectares have burned, although the fire is not yet controlled, unlike the one in Maine et Loire, in the northwest, which firefighters consider controlled after having affected some 1,500 hectares.

Darmanin asked companies and public administrations to release from work obligations anyone who has volunteer firefighter training to be able to fight the fires. Companies like Carrefour, the one with the most workers in the country, sent a circular to their shopping centers so that they give days off to those who have this training, something that the Marseille region also ordered.

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