Wildfires stretch Europe as Serbia deploys Russian, EU help; Ankara blaze contained

Romanian firefighters work to prevent a wildfire from reigniting as they tackle smoldering ground following a fire in the Deliblato Sands nature reserve in Serbia. (Photo: Reuters) Wildfires are stretching firefighting capacity across Europe, forcing countries to move aircraft, helicopters and crews across borders as several blazes burn at the same time. Serbia is using both Russian and EU assistance, while crews in Ankara brought a large wooded-area fire under control early Monday after an eight-hour operation.By August 19, fires had burned 619,298 hectares across the EU, more than twice the 2006-2025 average of 280,045 hectares for the same point in the year, according to the EU's Joint Research Centre. The European Commission has described this summer's operation as the bloc's largest-ever wildfire response, with 777 firefighters from 14 countries pre-positioned in high-risk areas alongside 22 firefighting planes and five helicopters.Serbia adds EU support after Russian deploymentSerbian authorities said on Sunday that the fire at Deliblatska Pescara, a protected nature reserve where blazes had burned for weeks, had been localised and extinguished, with crews continuing to guard...