Turkey has pledged its support to Spain in the form of two specialized firefighting aircraft to aid in the ongoing battle against wildfires that have been devastating various regions across the country. The announcement was made on July 25, following a request for help made by Spanish authorities through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, as stated by the Turkish embassy in Madrid, according to telesurenglish.net.

Current aerial efforts are focused on extinguishing fires that began last Tuesday night in El Cerro del Andévalo, Huelva. The fires, particularly in the provinces of Ávila and Madrid, have so far consumed approximately 25,000 hectares of land, leading to the evacuation of 73,000 people from multiple municipalities.

The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, declared that the two uncontrolled and proximate fires in central Spain would be managed as a single incident, streamlining the command under the national emergency declared for the affected region. Besides the catastrophic fires in Madrid and Ávila, other provinces, including León, Huesca, Teruel, and Córdoba, are also grappling with less intense fires.

The province of Almería in the southeast suffered significant losses, with 13 fatalities and 7,000 hectares burned in recent weeks. In another incident, a fire consumed 32,000 hectares in the Sierra Norte de Guadalajara, marking the second largest fire incident in Spain’s recorded history.

Turkey’s contribution comes at a critical time, reinforcing Spain’s firefighting capabilities and showcasing international solidarity in the face of environmental disasters.