France fighting fires on multiple fronts as Securite Civile leans on Czech assets for assistance

Authorities have deployed helicopters and CL-415 waterbombers to battle a Fontainebleau blaze, as assembly of the first European-built Firehawk begins.

France’s Securite Civile disaster relief agency continues to battle forest fires on multiple fronts, even halving its presence at the country’s 14 July Bastille Day flypast to deploy airborne assets to a blaze currently raging to the south of Paris.

Revealing the move in a post on X, the agency said a solitary helicopter joined the traditional display above the Champs-Elysees, while the “second was on duty over the Fontainebleau forest fire to support the rescue teams”.

Securite Civile operates a large fleet of Airbus Helicopters H145s – a mix of older variants and the newer five-bladed version – alongside 12 De Havilland Canada CL-415 water-bombers based at Nimes airport in southern France.

Those fixed-wing assets have also been deployed to fight the Fontainebleau fire, scooping water from the river Seine near Chartrettes, a notable first.

France is modernising its waterbomber fleet through the acquisition of new Canadair 515s. Paris recently doubled its commitment to the updated version of the legacy type, signing for two more examples in early June.

18h, les écopages continuent à Chartrettes en Seine-et-Marne #incendie #fontainebleau pic.twitter.com/oVbBMQjTEU

— Antoine (@Ant01ne) July 13, 2026

Meanwhile, the Securite Civile has also leaned on firefighting assets from elsewhere in the EU.

On 11 July, a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk from the Czech Republic – deployed to France through the European Union’s rescEU civil protection mechanism – carried out its first operation in the country, the Securite Civile says.

Operating from Valence airport in southern France, two Black Hawks have been deployed on the operation, each equipped with a 3,540-litre (935USgal) Bambi Bucket and operated by Slovakia’s Heli Company, a business in the Helicopter Alliance group.

Both rotorcraft – OM-BHB and OM-BHK – are former US Army assets modified by Helicopter Alliance subsidiary Ace Aeronautics and owned by lessor SkyConnect Leasing.

Prague has more firefighting helicopters on the way, having in November ordered three Sikorsky S-70 Firehawks through an agreement with Ceska letecka servisni (CLS) – another Helicopter Alliance company – and United Rotorcraft.

An initial Firehawk from that order is now in final assembly at PZL Mielec – Sikorsky’s Polish subsidiary – ahead of planned delivery in the fourth quarter of 2027.

“The Czech Republic is not merely buying helicopters; it is pioneering Europe’s first operational Firehawk capability,” says Monika Kowalczykova, chief executive officer of CLS

“Our partnership brings world‑class, multi‑mission aircraft to a region that faces increasingly severe wildfire threats, and it sets a benchmark that other European operators can follow.”

Each Firehawk is equipped with a 3,785 litre water tank, a retractable snorkel, twin engines and night‑vision capability.