UAE helicopters drop 400,000 litres of water on raging Albanian wildfires to aid relief effort

Emirati response teams arrived in Tirana on Monday to tackle intense blazes fuelled by summer heat

Helicopters sent by the UAE have dropped more than 400,000 litres of water on wildfires raging across Albania under a major relief mission.

An Emirati emergency task force arrived in Albania on Monday – on the directives of President Sheikh Mohamed – to provide crucial support to authorities battling to contain a spate of intense blazes fuelled by soaring summer temperatures.

An 80-year-old man died in a fire which broke out south of the capital of Tirana, Albanian officials confirmed on Wednesday.

Residents in parts of Albania have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the wildfires, which have caused widespread damage to land and property.

Emirati rescue units have conducted eight air sorties to date over affected areas in and around the forested town of Gramsh, carrying out 211 air drops of water.

The UAE shared footage this week showing firefighting helicopters – often referred to as water bombers – collecting water in containers attached to their craft from the sea before depositing the liquid from the skies on to fierce flames below.

A firefighter douses flames near the town of Delvine, in Albania. AFP

Co-ordinated response

The UAE task force – comprising the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Interior, represented by Abu Dhabi Civil Defence – on Wednesday held a meeting with Albanian officials to discuss the emergency operation.

The Albanian officials thanked the UAE for its support and praised the professionalism of the response teams.

Meanwhile, one of Greece's largest cities is bearing the brunt of fast-spreading fires, exacerbated by extreme heat and high winds.

Evacuations have been reported in Patras, which has a population of about 200,000 people, while lands covering nearly 10,000 hectares have been burnt in the surrounding Achaea region this week.

Pledging support

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, on Wednesday, spoke by phone with Milojko Spajic, Prime Minister of Montenegro, to discuss forest fires affecting some areas of the Balkans country.

Sheikh Abdullah expressed the UAE's solidarity with Montenegro in facing these “exceptional circumstances” and said the Emirates was ready to provide necessary support to mitigate the impact of the fires.