Additional Coverage:
ATHENS, Greece – At daybreak Monday, five water-dropping planes and five helicopters took to the skies to support hundreds of firefighters battling a large wildfire west of Athens, just one day after a tragic midair collision between two firefighting helicopters claimed the lives of two crew members.
The accident highlighted the extreme dangers faced by crews on the front lines of Europe’s escalating wildfire crisis. The fire continued to advance deeper into the region surrounding the Greek capital, prompting new evacuation orders early Monday. Meanwhile, in France, firefighters maintained their efforts against a massive blaze that has scorched an area four times the size of Paris.
The fatal collision involved two helicopters near the coastal area of Psatha, where crews were fighting a fire that ignited Friday morning. The blaze swept through dense pine forests and scrubland over the weekend, driven by powerful winds that often grounded water-dropping aircraft.
The two crew members who lost their lives were a Greek and a Danish national. The second helicopter’s crew, which included a Greek and a British national, sustained minor injuries and were hospitalized. Greece often calls on international firefighting teams and helicopter crews to assist during its dry, hot summers.
On Monday, diminishing winds provided cautious optimism that the nearly 500 firefighters on the ground could contain the fire’s spread. However, authorities warned that the greater Athens area, known as Attica, remained at high risk due to anticipated rising temperatures.
More than 1,000 residents have been evacuated, including over 250 rescued by boat from local beaches. Early Monday, evacuation orders expanded to three additional areas as crews worked to establish firebreaks in forested zones to slow the fire.
Greek firefighting officials reported that the blaze likely started from sparks emitted by a faulty power line connected to a private wind generator facility. Two individuals-a responsible electrical engineer and a contractor involved with the power line installation-were arrested and face felony arson charges. Authorities have also issued an arrest warrant for the wind generator company’s owner.
Wildfires are a recurring and destructive challenge in Greece, where hot, dry weather and strong winds allow even small sparks to ignite large fires. Despite bans on high-risk activities like barbecues and outdoor welding during peak danger periods, many fires result from negligence.
Some, however, are intentionally set. On Sunday, a man was arrested on the island of Kefalonia on suspicion of starting a fire that rapidly spread and forced evacuations.
Meanwhile, in France, the country’s largest wildfire remains contained within its perimeter, though it forced the evacuation of 224,000 people-the largest civilian evacuation outside wartime in recent French history. Hot spots continue to smolder within the 420-square-kilometer scar, and nearly 3,000 firefighters remain deployed in the Gironde region and in Provence battling another blaze.
Across France and Spain, wildfires have displaced approximately a third of a million people this summer, emptying communities and straining emergency services amid simultaneous disasters.
- Reporting from Paris by Adamson