Haute-Corse: fire chief calls for more national air support

Corte – 20/07/2026: In view of the ongoing forest fires in the island’s interior, the president of the Haute-Corse fire and rescue service, Hyacinthe Vanni, has requested reinforcements from national aerial support. The resources deployed would no longer be proportionate to the scale of the risks, he stated. Firefighters are working under conditions that endanger their safety; personal commitment cannot permanently compensate for structural shortages of state firefighting aircraft and helicopters.

The appeal comes at a particularly tense moment in central Corsica. According to the prefecture, around 352 hectares burned near Albertacce on Monday. There, 163 emergency personnel with around 60 vehicles were working to combat still-active fire hotspots. In the Corte-Restonica area, the fire affected around 179 hectares. The flames came within approximately 50 metres of the Capellaccia sheepfolds, where two shepherds and around 500 animals were affected.

Meteorological conditions are significantly complicating firefighting operations. Dry air, high temperatures and a westerly wind of around 40 kilometres per hour, with gusts of up to 60 kilometres per hour, are encouraging further spread. The responsible authorities are keeping municipal hiking trails closed to protect the population and give emergency services access to the operational areas.

Aerial support scheduled for Monday included the Dragon 2B rescue helicopter, the Morane 2A helicopter, two Puma helicopters and a Dash firefighting aircraft. Ground reinforcements from the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Var and Hérault were added. At the same time, the deployment highlights the island’s dependence on supra-regional allocated resources when several fires must be fought simultaneously and under difficult weather conditions.

For the 2026 fire season, the state points to a comprehensive overall approach. According to the Ministry of the Environment, 12 Canadair aircraft, eight Dash aircraft and other reconnaissance aircraft, as well as seasonally leased aircraft, are available nationwide. Two Canadair aircraft and a heavy firefighting helicopter were pre-positioned for Corsica. The national coordination centre in Nîmes distributes air and ground resources throughout the national territory based on the threat situation and priority.

This centralised management is particularly important for an island region with limited resources of its own, but may lead to conflicting priorities during simultaneous major fires. Vanni’s criticism is therefore not directed at the teams deployed on site, but at the question of whether the national fleet and its distribution are keeping pace with the increasing duration, geographical scope and intensity of vegetation fires. The current operation in Haute-Corse makes this strategic debate tangible once again.