The General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations reports that Romanian firefighters on the island of Corsica are involved in extinguishing a forest fire that broke out near the city of Corte.

According to the IGSU press release quoted by Agerpres, this is the first mission of Romanian firefighters on the island of Corsica.

“Starting at 2:15 p.m., a specialized national module for extinguishing forest fires was alerted through a French liaison officer to extinguish a forest fire that broke out in the vicinity of the village of Corte,” the message reads.

Romanian firefighters intervene together with the host country’s military and civilian fire brigades to extinguish the fire.

“At the same time, 2 helicopters with the Bambi Bucket system and 2 Canadair firefighting aircraft were involved in the intervention to conduct aerial reconnaissance and effectively cover the entire affected area. According to the forecast for today, August 21, the risk of forest fires is high. The missions carried out by our colleagues are carried out under the direct coordination of the French liaison officer and will consist in limiting the spread of fire towards populated areas, maintaining a line of defense between the fire front and the affected area,” the statement said.

The IGSU recalls that on August 15, Romania sent a specialized module for extinguishing forest fires consisting of 20 soldiers to the island of Corsica as part of the pre-deployment program.