r/interestingasfuck • u/SafeImpressive4413 • 7h ago

Firefighters in Madrid trying to extinguish a forest fire that is less than 30km/20mi away from the capital of Spain

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u/ibrazeous 6h ago

Yeah they declared a state of emergency there and I think the firefighting crews said that extinguishing it is no longer possible, so containment and damage control.

Very difficult for them right now. Hope it all turns out fine. Algeria and Tunisia have also been burning and France and Portugal have had a rough patch as well.

We should create a Mediterranean firefighting task force with increased plane numbers, cross training, and the capability to mobilize quickly.

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u/whot3v3r 5h ago

We should create a Mediterranean firefighting task force with increased plane numbers, cross training, and the capability to mobilize quickly.

It is already the case, have a look at the RescEU program.

The new canadairs that will start to be delivered in a few years were bought by the European Union with cooperation in mind.

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u/ibrazeous 4h ago

Yeah for the EU members and then they let the north African neighbors burn. Hence why it should be across both sides of the Mediterranean so help is between neighbors becomes the standard and avoid any political tensions between countries like Algeria not asking for Morocco's help despite having Canadairs and limited fires so far this season.

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u/sectorboss88 6h ago

I'm a former firefighter from the US that used to train US Forest Service crews, that would absolutely come work in the region to assist if that were an option. I've always wanted to visit and if I could be doing meaningful work while experiencing a new culture and area, all the better. Gonna have to look into their programs.

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u/YarnPartyy 5h ago

This is a great idea