Serbian firefighters head to wildfire-hit Spain

BELGRADE - At Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport, Serbian Deputy PM and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic on Tuesday saw off Serbian firefighters who headed to Spain to assist efforts to contain wildfires that have been raging in the country for days.

The Serbian firefighting contingent is comprised of some 40 firefighters - 37 fire and rescue crew members, three medical support team members, five helicopter unit members and a liaison officer - as well as 16 firefighter vehicles and a Super Puma firefighter helicopter.

Facing one of its worst-ever wildfire seasons, Spain declared a national emergency on July 24 and requested international assistance through an EU civil protection mechanism on the following day, Dacic said.

He said that, pursuant to a decision by President Aleksandar Vucic, the Serbian Emergencies Sector had immediately offered to provide assistance to Spain and France, and added that a response from France was still pending.

Dacic noted that the Serbian firefighters would be operating in the vicinity of Madrid, in the town of Navalcarnero.

He said the helicopter, which can carry 4 t of water, would arrive in Spain in about eight and a half hours, while the firefighter vehicles would travel 2,700 km to reach their destination.