The European Union has deployed firefighting helicopters and emergency personnel to Serbia to support efforts to contain a massive wildfire in the Deliblatska Pescara nature reserve in the northeast of the country.

Serbia activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism on Friday after struggling for weeks to control the blaze, which has affected the unique landscape of sand dunes and woodland located about 80 kilometres from the capital, Belgrade.

The EU assistance includes four Black Hawk firefighting helicopters from Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, as well as 124 firefighters and nearly 40 emergency vehicles from Germany and Romania.

One helicopter each from Romania and Slovakia began firefighting operations on Saturday, while two Czech helicopters are expected to join the operation on Sunday. Romanian firefighters and vehicles have also arrived in Bela Crkva, near the affected area, while a German team is expected to arrive on August 24.

The wildfire has reportedly destroyed thousands of hectares of pine forest since late July. A Russian IL-76P firefighting aircraft is also assisting Serbian authorities after arriving in the country earlier this week.

Although the situation had become more stable by Saturday, Serbian emergency authorities warned that strong winds could worsen the fire. Officials said protecting settlements and human lives remained the top priority.

Other major wildfires are also burning in Serbia’s Stolovi mountain range, while a separate blaze is raging in the Strumica municipality of neighbouring North Macedonia.

The EU said Serbia, despite not being a member of the bloc, can access emergency assistance through the Civil Protection Mechanism, which allows participating countries to request additional firefighting resources when national capacities are overwhelmed.