France receives aid from Belgium and Turkey to combat forest fires

France’s severe forest fires, which have burned more than 116,000 hectares across regions such as Gironde, Var, Landes and Haute‑Corse, prompted international assistance. Belgium announced that it will send military personnel, fire‑fighter units and nine water‑tankers from Melsbroek Air Base, with Defence Minister Theo Francken confirming the deployment via transport aircraft.

Turkey also contributed two fire‑fighting aircraft, a move highlighted by President Emmanuel Macron, who thanked Turkey on social media. The Turkish support was coordinated by Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumaklı under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s directive. Both contributions aim to bolster France’s firefighting capacity amid one of the country’s worst wildfire seasons in recent history.