- Airplanes to help firefighters abroad
Two firefighting aircraft from Lower Saxony are set to assist in combating a wildfire in North Macedonia. The two planes departed from Braunschweig-Wolfsburg Airport en route to the North Macedonian capital, Skopje, as announced by the Ministry of the Interior in Hannover.
Previously, North Macedonia had reportedly requested this assistance through the European Union's disaster protection mechanism. Initially, the deployment is planned for seven days. According to the ministry, each plane is approximately 36 feet long and can carry around 815 gallons of water. As of Tuesday, there were still 14 fires active in North Macedonia's mountainous regions, down from a total of 46 the previous day.
The deployment of these two aircraft in Lower Saxony is part of an EU procedure aimed at maintaining additional capacities for firefighting. This allows countries to provide mutual assistance, for instance, in case of wildfires.
Last year, firefighting aircraft from Lower Saxony also assisted in firefighting efforts in Greece. "At the same time, fire protection in Lower Saxony remains ensured: in addition to ground-based deployment forces, land-owned capacities of helicopters with flexible external load containers are available at all times," emphasized Interior Minister Daniela Behrens (SPD) in a statement.
The Hanover, being the location of the Ministry of Interior that announced the deployment, plays a crucial role in coordinating the aid. The two firefighting aircraft hail from Lower Saxony, which has a history of providing aid to countries like Greece and now, The Hanover, in combating wildfires.
