Europe 1 with AFP // Photo credit: Handout / Nova Scotia Government / AFP 12:00 p.m., June 08, 2023

Faced with the situation that seems out of control in Canada, several EU countries have offered to send 300 firefighters to help local teams fight forest fires there. "Canada has asked the EU for support through the Civil Protection Mechanism and we are responding promptly," said the President of the European Commission.

Several EU countries have offered to send nearly 300 firefighters to Canada to help fight forest fires there, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said Wednesday. "We stand in solidarity with Canada in the face of the terrible forest fires. Canada has asked the EU for support through the Civil Protection Mechanism and we are responding promptly. The France, Portugal and Spain have offered to send more than 280 firefighters," she said in a message on Twitter.

We stand in solidarity with Canada in the face of the terrible forest fires.

Canada has requested support from the EU Civil Protection Mechanism - and we are responding promptly.

are offering the help of more than 280 firefighters.

More will come.

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) June 8, 2023

An exceptional location

"More help will come," she said. After the Canadian provinces of Alberta (west) and Nova Scotia (east), Quebec is hard hit by historic fires and is eagerly awaiting international reinforcements, while smoke from some 400 Canadian blazes hits the United States.

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The situation is considered exceptional by the authorities in terms of the number of hectares burned at this time of year. Canada as a whole is experiencing an unprecedented year: about 2,300 forest fires were recorded and about 3.8 million hectares were burned, a total well above the average of recent decades.