40 Maltese firefighters deployed to fight wildfires in Greece

Malta's Civil Protection Department (CPD) will send a contingent of 40 firefighters to Greece to help their counterparts fight wildfires there, reported Xinhua.

Announcing the initiative on Thursday, Minister for the Interior, Security and Work Byron Camilleri said this was the fourth international operation in two years by the CPD.

Camilleri said that on Monday the CPD will send a first contingent of 20 firefighters to Patras in western Greece. At the end of July, they will be replaced by another contingent of 20 firefighters. The second contingent will return to Malta in mid-August.

Two volunteers from non-governmental organizations will join the Maltese team.

The department has already sent several ships that will be used by the Maltese firefighters in Greece.

Greece suffers from many wildfires every summer due to high temperatures, heatwaves linked to climate change and arsonists. A man lost his life during a wildfire burning in western Greece last month. Last year, 20 people lost their lives as a result of wildfires.