Press Release: European Union helps fight forest fires in Greece

The European Commission announced on the 26 August 2014 that Greece is receiving support through the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism to fight the forest fires raging in the central part of the country. France has responded to Greece's request for assistance in a matter of hours – its two fire-fighting planes are already operating in the affected areas.

The fire that broke out on 24 August in a forest region near Kalabaka, central Greece, has burnt around 400 hectares of land and is still active.

• Primary Source

European Commission: DG Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection: What we do: Civil protection: Forest fires http://ec.europa.eu/echo/en/what-we-do/civil-protection/forest-fires

European Commission: RAPID: MEMO/14/503: Fighting forest fires in Europe – how it works http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-14-503_en.pdf

---