(Brussels) Several EU countries have offered to send nearly 300 firefighters to Canada to help fight the raging forest fires there, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen announced on Wednesday.
“We stand in solidarity with Canada in the face of the terrible forest fires. Canada has asked the EU for support through the Civil Protection Mechanism and we are responding promptly. France, Portugal and Spain have offered to send more than 280 firefighters,” she announced in a message on twitter.
“More help will come,” she assured.
After Alberta and Nova Scotia, Quebec is hard hit by historic fires and impatiently awaits international reinforcements, while the smoke from some 400 Canadian blazes reaches the United States.
The situation is considered exceptional by the authorities in terms of the number of hectares burned at this time of year.
Canada as a whole is experiencing an unprecedented year: approximately 2,300 forest fires were recorded and approximately 3.8 million hectares were burned, a total well above the average of recent decades.