The Italian Government, through the Italian Department of Civil Protection, has arranged the deployment of a Canadair CL-415 aircraft operated by the Fire Brigade to tackle the extensive wildfires that have been affecting certain areas of Albania since yesterday, following a request for assistance submitted to the Emergency Response Coordination Centre in Brussels by the Albanian authorities.

The aircraft, departing from the Lamezia Terme base, is activated as a rescEU-IT resource within the framework of the European Civil Protection Mechanism: the system provides that two of the Canadair aircraft stationed on Italian territory, if not engaged for national needs, can be dispatched abroad in case of necessity, even outside the European Union.

Also for tomorrow, should the need for aerial support persist, Italy will assess the possibility of deploying one or two aircraft, compatible with commitments within the national territory. The Italian crews will operate on the fires affecting the Lura National Park, in the northeast of the country, supporting firefighting operations coordinated by Albanian authorities and will return to Italy in the evening at the conclusion of operations.