"Serbia accepted the help." Of the European Union in the fight against big fire, and four 'Black Hawk' helicopters should be sent to the country, as well as fire-rescue teams from Germany and Romania," said Assistant Minister and Head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Luka Čaušić.
Čaušić said that Serbia activated the Civil Protection Mechanism of the European Union due to very unfavorable weather conditions and the announced high temperatures, and that the aid will be used primarily for extinguishing the fire in Deliblatska peščara, but also in other areas if necessary.
"At the suggestion of the operational staff that manages the firefighting action in Deliblatska peščara, and bearing in mind the predicted extremely high temperatures in the coming period for the entire territory of our country, the Republic of Serbia activated the Civil Protection Mechanism of the European Union," said Čaušić.
According to him, after the activation of the mechanism, Serbia accepted the EU's offer for help in the fight against fires, bearing in mind "extremely negative hydrometeorological forecasts for the next period".
Source: FoNetFire in Deliblatska peščara
Four helicopters are arriving.
Serbia was offered four "Black Hawk" helicopters as part of the assistance from the strategic reserves, which are directly at the disposal of the European Commission.
One helicopter is located in Romania and can carry 2,6 tons of water, while two are deployed in the Czech Republic and one in Slovakia, each with a capacity of 3,5 tons of water.
In addition to the helicopter, Serbia also accepted Germany's offer to send a fire-rescue team of 55 members with 24 vehicles.
Romania offered a team of 69 members with 15 vehicles, so a total of 124 members of the fire and rescue services with 39 vehicles could arrive from the two countries.
"Helicopters and teams will be engaged primarily in the area of Deliblatska peščara, as well as potentially in other parts of the Republic of Serbia in case of need," said Čaušić.
EU aid arrives at a time when Serbia is facing several large fires, while high temperatures and dry weather make it even more difficult to put them out. The Deliblat Sandstone is currently one of the most difficult fires in the country, and air support should be especially important in the coming days.
Montenegro also offered help
Serbia was also offered help by Montenegro, which made available the "Air Tractor AT-802" aircraft from the Air-Helicopter Unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, that is, the Directorate for Protection and Rescue.
The Government of Montenegro stated that the offer was sent "in the spirit of solidarity and good-neighborly cooperation", as support for Serbia in extinguishing fires from the air.
At the same time, the Russian plane "Ilyushin-76" has already been deployed on Deliblatska Peščara, which has joined the extinguishing operations, while domestic forces are also using MUP helicopters.
The fire in Deliblatska peščara, with high temperatures, wind and inaccessible terrain, represents a particularly difficult challenge for teams on the ground, which is why additional air and ground support should increase firefighting capacities.
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