Belgian soldiers were sent to France today to assist French firefighters mobilized in the Gironde region in the southwest, where a massive fire has been raging for days, Belgian public broadcaster RTBF reported today.
The Belgian Ministry of Defense has provided France with two Panther fire trucks and the necessary personnel to operate them—eight military operators.
The Ministry of Defense will send a total of 29 soldiers to southwestern France, as well as a liaison officer.
Panther fire trucks are designed for firefighting in Belgium and abroad. They are usually deployed at Belgian air bases. The Ministry of Defense has 20 such vehicles.
Their tanks can hold up to 10,500 liters of water and 600 liters of foam. Their jet can reach flames at a distance of more than 90 meters. The Panther also has the advantage of being very fast, capable of reaching speeds of up to 135 kilometers per hour.
The Ministry of Defense is also sending nine tanker trucks to France.
Defense Minister Theo Francken briefly interrupted his vacation in the Netherlands to attend the departure of the forces to France from the Melsbroek military airfield.
The soldiers and equipment are expected to remain in France for two weeks. They will work in cooperation with the French Ministry of Defense.
“Our military personnel will be deployed together with French soldiers and firefighters, under French command. This is completely new equipment that can also be deployed here in Belgium in case of fires. We are operational and ready in less than 24 hours,” Francken said.
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