Lithuania sends 32 firefighters to help France battle wildfires

Lithuania is sending a 32-member firefighting team to France to assist in battling large-scale wildfires, the government decided in an emergency remote session on Friday, LRT reports.

France has been struggling with major wildfires for over a week due to heatwaves, drought, and strong winds, making the fires difficult to control, Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas said. The Lithuanian team will consist of 40 State Fire and Rescue Service personnel, including a management group and 32 firefighter-rescuers, along with nine specialised vehicles, five of which are fire engines.

The team will depart on Saturday to help extinguish large wildfires in southern France under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. They will travel by land, bringing all necessary equipment, including firefighting tools, communication devices, personal protective gear, camping equipment, and other supplies for independent operations.

The journey is expected to take about three days. Upon arrival, French civil protection authorities will direct the team to their deployment site, where some will set up camp while others proceed immediately to assigned wildfire suppression locations.

“The Lithuanian team will work in France for as long as needed and as long as their capabilities are required for fire suppression operations. The specific tasks, deployment location, and duration will be determined by French authorities based on the evolving situation,” the statement reads.

The National Crisis Management Centre is coordinating the international assistance effort. According to BNS, firefighters in France’s Gironde region have been battling wildfires for over a week, leading to the evacuation of 220,000 people. The fires have destroyed more than 200 homes and scorched 42,000 hectares of land.