site.btaUPDATED Two French Airplanes to Join Firefight at Bulgarian-Greek Border

Two French airplanes will join the firefighting operation on the Bulgarian-Greek border, caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev told journalists on Monday. Glavchev is in the southwestern village of Petrovo together with caretaker Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov.

The planes are expected to land at Plovdiv Airport in the afternoon and help in the firefighting on Tuesday and Wednesday. Glavchev noted that these planes have the capacity to carry a large volume of water, collected in one scoop, so using them during these two days should be enough.

"It is good that we have made the necessary arrangements here on the ground," the caretaker Prime Minister said. It was again stressed that there are enough people at the fire site but the terrain is very difficult. Clearings have already been made, said Dimitar Glavchev.

The planes sent by France under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism have already joined the firefighting at the Bulgarian-Greek border, Stoyanov said on Facebook later Monday.

A total of three aircraft arrived in Bulgaria on Monday, two of them for waterbombing, Stoyanov said, adding that the third, a reconnaissance plane, was used to survey the area in order to provide intelligence for improving the extinguishing operations.

The two French planes will refill water for firefighting from the Dospat Reservoir, the Minister wrote.