Firefighters are still battling a large fire that broke out on the border of the Wołomin and Mińsk counties. During the operation, volunteer firefighters lost an old fire engine that had served them for 29 years. A fundraiser to purchase a new vehicle has already been launched.
“When firefighters lose a vehicle during an operation, the government should respond. Unfortunately, units are forced to organize fundraisers. This looks bad,” wrote the creator of the firefighting service Remiza.pl on X.
End of service for “Grandma”
Firefighters from OSP Turze, who were deployed to fight the extensive forest fire in Mazovia, lost their fire engine. The breakdown occurred during firefighting operations. The crew has already started raising funds and is counting on support.
“The forest fire that broke out on Thursday, May 28, 2026, in the town of Międzyleś was not the first operation in which our ‘Grandma’ took part. It began its service at the airport in Poznań, and in 1997 it was transferred to our unit. For nearly 29 years, it participated in hundreds of rescue and firefighting operations, always ready to help. However, the aforementioned operation proved to be its most difficult challenge,” reads the fundraiser description.
Rescue services are still operating at the scene. To support efforts at the forest fire near Warsaw, 130 soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces and 20 units of equipment have been deployed. Among the assets used on site are unmanned reconnaissance systems FlyEye, Hercules technical support vehicles, and a Bayraktar TB2 drone, which transmits images of the fire-affected area to the command center directing the operation. The military has declared it will support the services until the fire is fully contained and extinguished.
Around 100 people were evacuated. They were mainly owners of recreational plots who returned to their permanent residences. At the same time, local authorities prepared accommodation for all those who might need temporary shelter.