The European Commission today described the recent fires in Greece – mainly in Evros – as the biggest forest fires ever recorded in the EU.

See related: The Evros fire has burned more than 808,000 acres – Satellite image of the burned area

“Responding to the biggest fires in the history of the EU, we activated a huge operation through #rescEU in Greece by sending: – 11 firefighting planes, 1 helicopter, 407 firefighters and 62 vehicles” said Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič today, during the briefing on operation of the European natural disaster response system.

The Commission’s announcement also states that the Evros fire is the largest in the EU since 2000, when the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) began recording data.

Specifically, in its announcement, the Commission states:

“To tackle the biggest forest fires ever recorded in the EU, the Commission’s Emergency Response Coordination Center has mobilized 11 firefighting planes and 1 helicopter from the rescEU reserve, stationed in 6 Member States.

In addition, 6 European countries have contributed 6 ground-based forest firefighting teams through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. So far, over 81,000 hectares have burned in the Alexandroupolis area. This fire is the largest in the EU since 2000, when the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) began recording data.

Since Greece activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, for the second time this summer, on 20 August, the EU has deployed 11 rescEU firefighting planes stationed in Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Spain and Sweden, 1 Blackhawk helicopter from the Czech Republic , 407 firefighters and 62 vehicles from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia.

In addition, the EU’s Copernicus mapping satellite produced 20 maps of the affected areas. This assistance follows the immediate EU response to the previous activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism by Greece. Last month, a coordinated deployment of 9 planes, 510 firefighters and 117 vehicles began to tackle the escalating wildfires.”

For his part, the Commissioner for Crisis Management, Yanes Lenarcic, said: “We stand in solidarity with Greece as it battles the devastating fires. The European Union’s largest aerial firefighting operation underlines our commitment to quick and effective collective action in times of crisis . Our thoughts are with the people of Greece, and we will continue to work tirelessly to protect lives, property and the environment. EU unity and cooperation are our strongest assets to overcome these challenges.”