Ankara / Anadolu Agency

French President Emmanuel Macron called for activating the European Union's civil protection mechanism to combat the fires that are engulfing large areas of the country.

This European assistance comes as France experiences a severe heatwave that increases the risk of fires starting and spreading.

In a post on the American platform 'X' on Friday, Macron said that firefighting efforts are ongoing, particularly in the Gironde region in the southwest of the country.

Macron thanked the firefighting teams and workers involved in extinguishing the fires.

He added that he requested the activation of the EU civil protection mechanism in response to the fires that have spread over thousands of hectares in recent days.

Macron explained that two planes from Croatia and two from Portugal, as well as two helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, will join the firefighting efforts.

Emmanuel Macron thanked his country's European partners for their solidarity.

- More than 50,000 hectares burned

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez revealed to journalists that the total area burned since the beginning of the year has exceeded 50,000 hectares.

Nuñez pointed out that this figure is roughly three times the area recorded in the same period last year, and also provided information on the ongoing fires in the southwest of the country.

Nuñez added that the fire that has been burning for three days in the town of Saumos in the Gironde department has ravaged more than 10,000 hectares.

He noted that the 'largest fire of the season' is spreading in an area difficult to reach by land and has not yet been brought under control.

He added that another fire near the city of Biscarrosse in the Landes department, southwest of the country, has caused 2,500 hectares to burn.

He noted that a total of 43,000 people have been evacuated, including 23,000 in the Landes department and 20,000 in the Gironde department.

Forest fires in France are a recurring phenomenon in summer, but their extent this year is alarming. The increase in fires is linked to climate change and rising temperatures. Firefighters continue their efforts to control the flames under difficult weather conditions. European aid is expected to continue flowing to support France in facing this natural disaster.