Wildland fire suppression

European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic has said that the rescEU aerial firefighting fleet will be doubled for this year's wildfire season. The announcement was made Wednesday during the 10th anniversary celebration of the EU's Emergency Response Coordination Center.

The reason is the risk of forest fires during the summer, reported NOVA TV. 

In order to prepare for forest fire risk, the Commission announced the first fleet of firefighting aircraft under the new rescEU system to deal with natural disasters in the coming summer.

Conservative New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday visited the Canadair base in Elefsina, western Attica, and thanked the firefighters he met there for their efforts to douse last week's catastrophic blazes.

Engineers and pilots of firefighting force scambling to get fleet up to scratch ahead of the summer.

Forty firefighters with 20 fire engines were on Wednesday battling a blaze that broke out near the village of Diasela, in the Ileia region of the Peloponnese.

Reports said the fire, which was burning forest and farm land, was not threatening residential areas.

Canadair firefighting aircraft were expected to join the operation, according to the same reports.

Firefighters were on Thursday battling a forest fire that broke out in the municipality of Ilida, in the Ileia region of the Peloponnese.

Some 26 firefighters on the ground, backed up by more than 13 fire engines and water tankers, were taking part in the operation. Three water-dropping aircraft were assisting in the efforts.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire.

Police have launched a criminal inquiry into the Grenfell Tower blaze as it emerged that cladding panels similar to those likely to have been used on the 24-storey building have been widely prohibited on tall buildings in the US since 2012, reported The Guardian.

Two people have died during a fire in a residential building located in the very center of Bulgaria's capital Sofia, as reported by Darik radio.

At approximately 7pm Friday a signal has been received on the emergency number 112 stating that an apartment is burning in a building close to the National Opera and Ballet between the streets Rakovski and Moskovska.