The European Union has extended its firefighting deployment in Serbia until Sept. 5, keeping four helicopters and a Romanian ground team in the country as forecasters warn of strong winds over the fire zones.
The European Commission announced the extension Friday. The aircraft come from the rescEU strategic reserve and are based in Czechia, Romania and Slovakia. The Romanian ground team will stay for as long as the fires burn.
Serbia is not an EU member but takes part in the bloc's Civil Protection Mechanism, and it activated the system on Aug. 21 as flames spread through the Deliblato Sands in the country's northeast. The EU mobilized within hours, sending the four helicopters along with ground teams from Germany and Romania, according to the Commission.
The Serbian government said the aircraft are Black Hawks operated directly by the European Commission. One comes from Romania and carries 2.6 metric tons of water. Three from Czechia and Slovakia carry 3.5 metric tons each. A liaison officer was also deployed to coordinate between Serbian authorities and the EU emergency response coordination center.
Satellite support started earlier in the month. The Copernicus emergency management service was activated for Serbia on Aug. 8 to produce rapid maps of the burned areas for operational planning.
The fires have not stopped at the border. Russian aircraft have also assisted Serbian crews, a blaze near Strumica in North Macedonia damaged at least one home, and a large fire between Bosnia and Croatia closed the main road linking Trebinje to Dubrovnik, Al Jazeera reported. Nine countries had activated the EU mechanism for wildfires by Aug. 24.
Earlier this summer the traffic ran the other way. Serbia sent a firefighting helicopter and a response team to Spain when blazes there stretched the bloc's own resources thin.