EU sends planes and firefighters to France and Spain in one of Europe's largest evacuations

The Commission's civil protection and humanitarian aid department says the fires have forced more than 300,000 people from their homes in France and Spain. Under the EU civil protection mechanism, seven planes and four helicopters from Czechia, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden and Türkiye have been deployed to France, and six planes from Greece, Italy and Türkiye plus 134 personnel and 41 vehicles from Portugal to Spain. Preparedness and crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib said no country should have to face a disaster of that scale alone; where national offers fall short, the EU can draw on its rescEU reserve of 22 planes and 5 helicopters.

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