The Netherlands has decided to support Albania in fighting the forest fires by sending two Chinook helicopters equipped with Bambi buckets, announced Wednesday the Embassy of the Netherlands in Albania.

On the social networks, the Embassy informed that the two helicopters, together with 47 Dutch military personnel, will arrive on Friday and start operations on Saturday.

Furthermore, the Embassy of the Netherlands to Tirana underlined that it is important for its mother country to work side by side with Albania to protect people as well as unique national parks.

“The Albanian authorities have requested the EU and it’s member states to assist in fighting the forest fires that are currently spreading in southern Albania. In response, the Netherlands has decided to support Albania by sending two Chinook helicopters. The Chinooks are equipped with special buckets that can release 10 thousand liters of water to extinguish fires and are capable of reaching remote places. For the Netherlands, it is important to work side by side with Albania to protect people as well as unique national parks. The Chinooks, together with 47 Dutch military personnel, will arrive this Friday and start operations on Saturday”, stated the Embassy.

In a press release, the Netherlands’ Ministry of Defense underlined that 2 Chinook transport helicopters will be sent to Albania to help fight the fierce forest fires that are burning on the peninsula in the nature reserve near the city of Vlora.

Full press release by the Defense Ministry of Nether lands below:

Defense sends 2 Chinook transport helicopters to Albania to help fight the fierce forest fires. They rage on the peninsula in the nature reserve near the city of Vlorë. 1 of the military aircraft leaves tomorrow, the other Friday. The Air Force will start extinguishing the fire on Saturday.

The Chinooks are equipped with a so-called bambi bucket. This is a flexible bag that can be used to throw 10,000 liters onto the fire at a time. The Chinooks get the water from the Gulf of Vlorë. This is an inlet of the Adriatic Sea that borders the peninsula.

The helicopters of the Defense Helicopter Command are a frequently requested tool for extinguishing fires. From the air they reach areas where the fire brigade cannot reach. This is also the case in Albania.

“It is good that we can also assist Albania from the Netherlands and that we as Defense can help fight the forest fires in a unique nature reserve,” said Defense Minister Ank Bijleveld-Schouten. Furthermore, it is of course the intention that the fire does not reach the inhabited world any further.

The Albanian authorities have asked for help in fighting the forest fires through a partnership of the European Union. Minister Sigrid Kaag for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation has agreed to financing the deployment from the Dutch emergency aid budget. “We are working with other countries to extinguish the fires in Southern Europe: to prevent human suffering and to save natural areas,” says Kaag.

The Czech Republic is also making a fire fighting helicopter available. France, Cyprus and Slovenia are also sending equipment. The EU continues to help fight forest fires in Greece, Italy, Turkey and elsewhere in the Balkans.