Munich, August 2 – The city of Munich has extended an offer of significant assistance to its French twin city, Bordeaux, which continues to battle widespread wildfires. Mayor Dominik Krause announced the potential deployment of up to 160 firefighters and 32 vehicles to the crisis region, following discussions with Wolfgang Schäuble, head of the Munich professional fire brigade.
Munich’s Mayor Expresses Solidarity and Offers Concrete Help
Mayor Dominik Krause (Green Party) expressed his deep concern over the situation in France, stating, “The images from France are devastating. Horrific fires are raging around Munich’s twin city, Bordeaux.” He subsequently offered support from the Munich professional fire brigade to the French Consul General.
According to Schäuble, the Munich professional fire brigade could “quickly provide capacities for an operation in Bordeaux.” This potential deployment would involve two complete units, each comprising 80 firefighters and 16 vehicles. Schäuble confirmed in an interview with BR that the fire brigade is well-prepared for a possible mission in the Bordeaux fire areas.
German Aid Efforts Coordinated Nationally
Germany has already dispatched two transport helicopters and an A400M transport aircraft with supplies to the crisis region earlier this week. All German offers of assistance are coordinated through the Federal Ministry of the Interior. When an EU country, such as France, requires assistance due to large wildfires, it submits a request to a central coordination center in Brussels. These requests are then forwarded to Germany’s Joint Reporting and Situation Centre (GMLZ), which distributes them to the federal states to assess who can provide what kind of help.
However, recent requests from France and Spain for specialized equipment and units, such as firefighting aircraft capable of dropping large quantities of water from the air, and specialized ground units for combating forest fires, have posed a challenge for Bavarian emergency services. Such specialized aircraft and units are not typically used or available to Bavarian fire brigades.
Munich Fire Brigade Prepared for Urban Support
While the French Interior Ministry has primarily requested forest fire specialists from Germany, the Munich professional and volunteer fire brigades are primarily geared towards urban operations. This has been communicated to the Federal Ministry of the Interior via the Bavarian situation center. Nevertheless, Schäuble noted that Munich’s firefighters could provide crucial support in protecting buildings by establishing firebreaks with water and clearings.
Preparations for such a deployment would take approximately 16 hours. The journey to Bordeaux, located 1,300 kilometers away, including necessary overnight stays, would require about two and a half days. Munich’s firefighters have a history of participating in international missions, most recently in April 2026, when they assisted in extinguishing a liquid gas tanker fire off the Libyan coast.
The European Perspective and Future Challenges
The deployment of a complete unit abroad would be an unprecedented step for the Munich fire brigade. The ongoing wildfires in Europe highlight the escalating challenges posed by climate change, which is accelerating the frequency and intensity of such events. Experts from the “World Weather Attribution” initiative warn that wildfires will become many times more frequent in the future, emphasizing the need for prevention and education.
The situation in western France, particularly around Bordeaux, has seen some stabilization due to favorable weather conditions overnight. However, firefighters remain on continuous duty to keep the wildfires under control. This offers a glimmer of hope amidst the widespread devastation that has affected parts of southern Europe, including Spain, Portugal, Turkey, and Greece, in recent weeks.
The offer from Munich underscores the spirit of international cooperation and solidarity in addressing increasingly severe environmental challenges. The city awaits an official response from the French authorities regarding the acceptance of its proposed assistance.
