Lithuania offers assistance to France in battling raging wildfires

Lithuania has officially offered to assist France in combating large-scale wildfires in the country’s south, according to a report by LRT.

The State Fire and Rescue Service announced on Tuesday that Lithuania is prepared to deploy a team of firefighters with all necessary equipment to help extinguish the fires. Southern France has been battling severe wildfires for over a week, with more than 11,000 hectares of land already burned and around 12,000 residents evacuated. National and international forces have been mobilised to tackle the blazes.

Acting Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė stated in the Fire and Rescue Service’s announcement: “In these turbulent times, we must stand together and demonstrate solidarity through action. Lithuania is ready to extend a helping hand to France, which is suffering from these fires.”

Last Sunday, France requested six forest fire-fighting modules via the European Commission’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC). Sweden, Spain, and Cyprus have already provided support. Lithuania, assessing its capabilities, has proposed sending a team of firefighters with specialised equipment to contribute to the firefighting efforts.

“The EU Civil Protection Mechanism is based on solidarity and mutual assistance between states. Lithuania is ready to contribute to international efforts and provide all possible support. International cooperation is one of the key conditions for effectively responding to increasingly frequent extreme situations,” said Acting Interior Minister Vladislavas Kondratovičius in the announcement.

In response to the growing threat of large-scale wildfires in Europe, the State Fire and Rescue Service has begun establishing a forest fire-fighting module this year, compliant with EU Civil Protection Mechanism requirements.

“Recent years have shown that large wildfires are becoming a challenge for all of Europe. Therefore, we are strengthening Lithuania’s capabilities by starting the creation of a forest fire-fighting module that meets EU requirements. However, even before its completion, we are ready to assist those countries in need,” said Renatas Požėla, head of the State Fire and Rescue Service.

Lithuania plans to form a specialised wildfire-fighting team, equip it with the necessary tools, and meet all certification requirements so the module can be used in the future for large-scale wildfire operations both domestically and internationally. This process is expected to be completed within the next two years.

The State Fire and Rescue Service currently has two EU Civil Protection Mechanism-compliant international assistance modules: the Lithuanian Emergency Response Team (LERT), specialising in search and rescue operations in collapsed structures, and a joint high-capacity pumping module for flood response, created with Estonia and Latvia. The LERT team is currently participating in an international mission in Venezuela, aiding in the aftermath of severe earthquakes.

Once established, the wildfire-fighting module will become the third official international assistance module of the State Fire and Rescue Service.