Romanian firefighters evacuated more than 150 LPG cylinders from a campsite in France during a mission supporting the French authorities to contain the effects of a vegetation fire that spread to the site, affecting an area of several hectares.

'The request for assistance was received at around 13:00. Upon arrival, crews found a rapidly spreading fire burning through vegetation and the tree canopy, advancing towards the cabins inside the campsite. The operation was carried out under particularly difficult conditions due to strong winds, which fuelled the spread of the flames and hampered firefighting efforts,' the Inspectorate General for Emergency Situations (IGSU) said in a press release sent to AGERPRES on Friday.

Romanian crews established intervention lines to contain the fire and protect buildings at risk. They also identified and used water supply sources to ensure the continuity of firefighting operations.

'In support of the French authorities, more than 20 Romanian firefighters were deployed with three forest fire engines, each with a capacity of 3,000 litres, one high-capacity fire engine with a 10,000-litre tank, one 30,000-litre water tanker, one rapid intervention and command vehicle and one communications vehicle,' the press release reads.


The operation was carried out under the coordination of the French authorities, in cooperation with local emergency teams and with the support of aerial firefighting assets.

'Through their professionalism and efforts alongside their French counterparts, Romanian firefighters helped contain the fire in the sectors assigned to them. Given the size of the affected area, the strength of the wind and the high risk of reignition, the mission continued overnight, with continuous monitoring of the area, extinguishing remaining hotspots and preventing new outbreaks,' IGSU said.

The operation in France reaffirms the response capability of Romanian firefighters in international missions and the importance of European cooperation in tackling large-scale vegetation fires. AGERPRES(RO - writing by: Daniel Alexandru Florea; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)

Photo source: IGSU - Inspectoratul General pentru Situatii de Urgenta, Romania/Facebook.com