Romanian firefighter celebrates birthday while battling Serbian wildfires

Romanian firefighter platoon sergeant Andrei Pontoș marked his birthday in Serbia while taking part in the fight against major wildfires. His colleagues and family members attended the celebration, and a video was posted on X.

Romanian firefighters arrived in Serbia on Aug. 22, after Belgrade activated the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism and requested international help. The request followed large fires, particularly in the Deliblato Sands area.

Romania deployed a ground team of 69 firefighters and 15 vehicles, as well as a Romanian Black Hawk S-70M helicopter from the rescEU European strategic reserve. The firefighters were initially based near Bela Crkva and later worked with Serbian and German crews near Grebenac and Šušara.

Their tasks included extinguishing active fire fronts, preventing renewed outbreaks and creating firebreaks through the forest. Near Šušara, they built a protective strip about 800 meters long to slow the fire’s spread.

The initial assistance followed a fire that affected more than 3,500 hectares of the Deliblato Sands. Later Copernicus data indicated that about 13,920 hectares had burned in the affected areas by Aug. 26. Because the fires continued and strong winds were forecast, European assistance to Serbia was extended through Sept. 5. Firefighters and aircraft also arrived from Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Four Black Hawk helicopters were deployed under rescEU, two from the Czech Republic and one each from Romania and Slovakia.