Portugal, Spain and France will send 280 firefighters help Canada fight raging wildfires in the country, within the framework of the Civil Protection Mechanism of the European Union (EU), announced this Thursday the European Commission.
“We stand in solidarity with Canada in the face of the terrible forest fires. Canada has requested the support of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and we are responding quickly,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in a post on the social network Twitter.
The official clarified that Portugal, Spain and France are “offer the help of more than 280 firefighters”.
EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic also tweeted that, “At the request of Canada’s assistance in fighting the extreme fires, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated”.
“France, Spain and Portugal have already provided significant numbers of firefighters to help national teams and other nearby teams”but the EU “stands ready to provide further assistance”assured Janez Lenarcic.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Wednesday the arrival of “Hundreds of American firefighters” to fight wildfires in Canada, whose smoke has already reached the east coast of the United States.
Canada was battling more than 400 active fires as of Tuesday, with the largest share in the province of Quebec. The country has recorded 2,293 forest fires this year and about 3.8 million hectares burned, above the average for the past few decades.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced on Monday that the province is awaiting the arrival of 200 firefighters specialized in fighting forest fires from France and the United States and that it is in talks with other countries, such as Costa Rica and Chile, to send more personnel if necessary.
Legault recommended that people in the province close their windows and avoid outdoor physical activities, especially people who suffer from respiratory problems.
Justin Trudeau pointed to climate change as the reason for the increase in the number of large fires, which “affect daily routines, lives and livelihoods and our air quality”.
“We will continue to work – here at home and with partners around the world – to address climate change and its impacts,” Trudeau pledged.
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