Fires have already caused three deaths in the neighboring country
France will send two Canadair to Spain and a fire fighting coordination plane in response to a Spanish help to the European Union (EU), the French government said.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on social networks that planes will take off from the Nimes Civil Security base in southern France for a mission planned to “last two days.”
Spanish interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska requested the EU help and two Canadair on Wednesday night to help fight fires that have caused three dead since Tuesday.
Spanish authorities said today that the country faced 11 level 2 fires on a four scale.
Level 2 alert means a high risk of fire and implies the sending of additional, namely military personnel, and firefighting equipment.
In an interview today on TVE public television, Greater-Marlaska confirmed that the planes sent by France, with a capacity of 5,500 liters of water, will arrive in the morning to Santiago de Compostela in the morning.
The devices will be available to the General Directorate of Civil Protection and emergencies of the Interior Ministry to be sent to “where it is more urgent and necessary,” he said.
The minister appealed to volunteers to combat forest fires that affect various autonomous communities to “immediately obey” the instructions of the authorities.
He also asked the population to “obey and immediately comply with the instructions” of the authorities and the Civil Guard and to abandon the affected areas when there is a risk situation.
“We are in maximum risk situations and who best gives the instructions are the authorities,” said Fernando Grande-Marlaska, quoted by the Spanish news agency Efe.
The series of fires in Spain coincides with a heat wave that entered today on day 12, with all the warning regions, including those of the north.
The maximum predicted temperatures are 40 degrees Celsius and the night temperatures do not fall below 25 ° C.
High temperatures and fires have also affected other European countries in recent weeks, including Portugal, Greece and France.
