Croatian pilots return from France: It was an honor to help extinguish the fires

Croatian military pilots, members of the 855th Firefighting Squadron of the 93rd Wing of the Croatian Air Force, have completed their mission in the French Republic and returned this morning to the "Colonel Marko Živković" barracks in Zemunik.

From July 24 to August 2, 2026, the military firefighting pilots, flight technicians, and aviation technicians participated in extinguishing catastrophic fires in France.

Working with French colleagues and a great honor to help France

"Every mission brings certain challenges, and this one was particularly challenging. It was astonishing to see the fire west of Bordeaux; we are talking about 42,000 hectares of burned area, which is four times the size of the city of Paris. It was hard to watch burned houses, destroyed industrial facilities, and ruined vineyards," said Major Ivan Dukić, captain of the Canadair CL-415 crew.

Major Dukić emphasized how important the deployment to France was.

"Working with French colleagues, exchanging knowledge and experience, and the great honor of the Republic of Croatia and us as a team, a group, a squadron providing help, just as we provide support and protect the Republic of Croatia every summer," he says.

During their deployment in France, Croatian military pilots conducted 225 flights, logged 51 hours and 40 minutes of flight time, and dropped 1,224 tons of water.

Together with their French colleagues, members of the 855th Firefighting Squadron were deployed to extinguish fires in the areas of Bordeaux, Salernes, Biscarrosse, and east of Marseille.

As a reminder, at the request of the French Republic and in accordance with the Decision of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, with the prior consent of the President of the Republic, and by order of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, members of the Croatian Air Force were deployed to extinguish fires in the French Republic. The deployment was carried out as part of the European Civil Protection Mechanism, RescEU.

With their experience, knowledge, and capabilities, members of the Croatian Air Force made a valuable contribution to extinguishing the fires and protecting people.

Source: HRT