Romanian firefighters and technical equipment arrived on Saturday in Bela Crvka, Serbia, to tackle a massive vegetation fire, according to reports from Reuters.
The EU Civil Protection Mechanism dispatched firefighters and helicopters to assist Serbia in extinguishing a significant fire in the Deliblato Sands nature reserve, as announced by the EU mission in Belgrade on Saturday.
Serbia activated the mechanism on Friday after enduring weeks of wildfires affecting the Deliblato Sands, a unique mix of sand dunes and forests located approximately 80 kilometers from the capital, Belgrade, as well as fires in the southwestern part of the country.
The smoke from these fires has reached Timișoara.
Andreas Beckerath, head of the EU mission in Belgrade, expressed solidarity with Serbia, stating their commitment to protecting lives, livelihoods, and the unique natural heritage of the Deliblato Sands on social media.
Support from Romania and Other EU Nations
Luka Causic, head of the Serbian Emergency Management Department, noted that the European assistance comprises four Black Hawk firefighting helicopters from Romania, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, along with 69 firefighters and 15 technical vehicles from Romania and 55 firefighters and 24 vehicles from Germany.
On Saturday, a helicopter from Romania and one from Slovakia joined the firefighting efforts, while two helicopters from the Czech Republic are expected to participate on Sunday, as reported by the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Romanian firefighters and equipment reached Bela Crkva, near the fire, on Saturday. A German team is slated to arrive on August 24, as indicated by the institution.
The Romanian firefighters involved in this mission are from Arad, Bihor, Brașov, Hunedoara, Ialomița, Sălaj, Sibiu, Timiș, and Vâlcea counties, according to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) as they departed for Serbia on Saturday.
Although Serbia is not an EU member, it has access to emergency assistance from the EU through the Civil Protection Mechanism.
This summer, Belgrade sent a firefighting helicopter and a response team to assist Spain in combating wildfires.
