European firefighters come together to fight French wildfires

Firefighters from all over Europe have joined their French counterparts to fight several wildfires, including in the southwest of the country.

Parts of the Gironde have turned into a smoldering wasteland as fires destroyed pine forests there and in the neighboring Landes.

An area of ​​more than 74 square kilometers has burned down since Tuesday, forcing at least 10,000 people to be evacuated.

More than 360 firefighters and specialized vehicles have arrived from Germany, Romania, Poland and Austria, joining forces with more than 1,000 French firefighters already on the scene.

The German team has been working with local teams since Friday morning.

“We are proud to be here,” said German firefighter Heiko Basten.

“All colleagues are very excited to learn, improve and of course help the French firefighters in an efficient way,” he added.

The commander of the French firefighters said the presence of their foreign colleagues has helped them cover more ground as they fight the blaze.

“Without them, we would not have committed resources here, or we would have committed resources here to the detriment of other sectors,” said Thomas Mimiague.

When the foreign and French firefighters were hard at work on Friday, the fires in the region appeared to be under control. But local authorities have warned that continued sweltering temperatures mean victory is still uncertain.