Watch France firefighting pilots perform jaw-dropping manoeuvres to scoop water from lakes & pools near stunned swimmers

THIS is the dramatic moment firefighting pilots perform jaw-dropping aerobatics to scoop up water from lakes in France. Incredible footage shows a squad of Canadair CL-415 aircraft gliding down onto the River Seine before sweeping through the water’s surface. A swarm of Canadair CL-415 aircraft swoop down onto the River Seine Credit: X Stunned swimmers watch on as the plane glides across the waters surface Credit: X Stunned swimmers watch on, floating in the water just meters away from the incoming planes. Thousands of firefighters have been deployed across France amid devastating wildfires. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Separate video shows two pilots lowering a helicopter into a garden pool to restock before carrying out water drops over a nearby forest. Emergency aircraft have been key in the country’s battle against the flames, including the first-ever deployment of an A400M military aircraft. The aircraft scooped up water as part of operations to battle the wildfires Credit: X Beach goers grabbed their phones to film the incredible scene as more planes flew in Credit: X The military plane dropped almost 22 tonnes of retardant in containment lines around fast-moving fire fronts in the South West of France. It comes after French President Emmanuel Macron warned the wildfires are the country’s biggest challenge since World War Two. Macron warned the coming weeks will be some of the toughest yet as the country braces for another 40C heatwave. Currently, 2,500 firefighters, 1,500 military personnel and around 1,200 police officers have been deployed in Gironde, the south-western area worst affected by the fire. Most read in The Sun Video shows two pilots lowering a helicopter into a pool to restock Credit: X Wildfires have torn through Gironde in France Credit: AFP via Getty Images Firefighters extinguish hot spots and smoldering patches 30 km from Bordeaux Credit: AFP Officials say fire crews have been “overwhelmed” by the ferocity of the flames and remain “far from” bringing them under control. Two people have died due to the wildfires so far with at least 88, mainly firefighters, injured. Dozens of homes have been burnt to the ground with an estimated 220,000 people displaced and forced to live in shelters while the flames remain high. On Monday, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the flames that had decimated 42,000 hectares of land was stable but not contained. Emergency aircraft have been key in the country’s battle against the flames Credit: AP Fires raging in Gironde, France Credit: Pacific Coast News It comes amid fears Bordeaux could be reduced to ashes as authorities battle “apocalyptic” flames less than seven miles away from the ancient city. Around 360,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in France and Spain as infernos tear up neighbourhoods and forests. In Spain, a new heatwave is set to begin on Wednesday. Madrid earlier said temperatures would soar and humidity levels drop across Spain. This would cause the fire risk to “surge to very high or extreme levels across almost the entire country”. The European Union said it would deploy additional aircraft to Spain to help combat the fires. Footage shows two Greek Canadair CL-415 firefighting aircraft spraying water across a number of locations devastated by wildfires in Spain. Reacting to the forecast, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said: “I ask for understanding and call on all citizens in all the country to exercise extreme caution and take every possible precaution.” It comes after Gironde firefighting Chief Eric Brocardi compared the battle to contain the inferno as a “David-versus-Goliath scenario”. Comment now