Ukraine: Ukraine sends firefighters to help battle massive wildfires in France.

RESTRICTION: USERS MUST CREDIT “STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE” HANDOUT, MUST NOT OBSCURE LOGO —EDITORIAL USE ONLY — SHOTLIST: UKRAINE (RELEASED ON JULY 31, 2026) (STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE - RESTRICTED) 1. VARIOUS OF FIRE TRUCKS 2. VARIOUS OF FIRE TRUCKS MOVING ON ROADUKRAINE - RELEASED ON JULY 31, 2026 - RESTRICTION: USERS MUST CREDIT “STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE” HANDOUT, MUST NOT OBSCURE LOGO —EDITORIAL USE ONLY — Ukraine has dispatched a team of emergency responders to France to assist efforts to combat massive wildfires, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said on Friday, July 31. According to the agency, the deployment marks the first mission by a Ukrainian rescue team to assist a European Union member state under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The Ukrainian rescuers are expected to support French authorities in ongoing wildfire suppression operations. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced Friday that more than 300 people had been arrested in connection with wildfires across France since the start of the fire season. Nunez told French broadcaster RTL that 308 people had been arrested, describing the figure as "very high." He said around two-thirds of the arrests involved suspected arson. Thirty-three of those arrested had reportedly been placed in pretrial detention, were awaiting trial or had already been convicted. The Interior Ministry later clarified to RTL that 127 of those arrested were minors. Nunez also provided an update on the wildfire in the southwestern Gironde department, which has burned nearly 42,000 hectares (103,784 acres). He said the fire remained stable but had not yet been fully contained, with several hotspots still needing to be extinguished. As the wildfire situation continues to improve in southwestern France, authorities have allowed thousands more residents to return home, according to French broadcaster BFMTV. The Gironde prefecture said an additional 84,000 people could immediately return to their homes in nine municipalities near Bordeaux. On Thursday, Nunez told BFMTV that authorities believed "the worst may be behind us" as the wildfire situation continued to improve, while urging people to remain vigilant. Meteo-France's current alert map places 29 departments under a high orange risk for wildfires.