Moldovan firefighters helping to extinguish large forest fire in Greece

Moldovan firefighters intervened on Thursday, together with the Greek authorities, to extinguish a large forest fire that broke out in the Siviri area, Kassandra municipality, in the Halkidiki region of Greece. The flames spread rapidly through a densely forested pine area and threatened the nearby residential sector.

The Moldovan firefighters were deployed at 14:20 and worked to locate and extinguish active hotspots, limit the spread of the flames, and protect vulnerable areas. The intervention was hampered by the frequently changing wind direction and the rapid expansion of the fire.

Due to the risk to populated areas, the Greek authorities ordered the evacuation of people from vulnerable sectors. Moldovan firefighters took part both in evacuating residents and in extinguishing active and residual hotspots.

The operation involved 12 aircraft, three helicopters, 122 firefighters, and 31 fire engines from Greece, along with other ground resources and volunteers. In the evening, firefighters from the Republic of Moldova were reassigned to another operational sector in Kassandra, where teams continued efforts to prevent the fire from spreading toward residential areas. The mission continued throughout the night.

Moldovan rescuers also provided logistical support to the Hellenic Fire Service, including supplying water to fire engines and intervention equipment.

On the morning of August 14, a handover and takeover of personnel was carried out in the field to ensure mission continuity and maintain the operational capacity of the Moldovan module.

Background: The ground forest firefighting team of the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations is currently in Greece under the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism. Moldovan firefighters are pre-positioned in the Hellenic Republic and carry out missions together with Greek authorities and international teams for rapid intervention in case of forest fires.

The second contingent of the GFFF-V Moldova module is participating in the pre-positioning mission in the Hellenic Republic under the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism. Moldovan firefighters are working alongside international teams, helping to strengthen response capacities and ensure rapid intervention amid the heightened risk of vegetation and forest fires during the summer season.