Water-dropping planes fight Athens wildfire after helicopter crash
Greek fire crews deployed aircraft to combat a large blaze west of Athens following a fatal helicopter collision, while France and the Netherlands also battled major wildfires amid a historic heat wave across Europe.
Water-dropping aircraft were dispatched to a major wildfire west of Athens on Monday, as firefighters worked to contain flames that had breached containment lines the day after a mid-air collision killed two crew members. The crash involved two privately chartered helicopters operated by the Greek firefighting service, killing a Greek and a Danish national and injuring two others.
Fire Service spokesman Yiannis Artopios said 12 water-dropping planes and 11 helicopters were operating in the area, where strong winds pushed the fire into mountain villages, destroyed farms and property, and forced the closure of a highway. More than 1,000 residents were evacuated from the seaside resort of Porto Germeno and surrounding communities, including over 250 people rescued by boat.
Authorities have arrested two contractors on charges of negligent arson after investigators linked the blaze to a faulty power line from a wind farm.
In France, firefighters continued to secure a massive wildfire that had burned about 420 sq km, the largest on record, allowing thousands of evacuees to return to homes and holiday accommodations. A second fire in Provence remained uncontained, with roughly 1,500 firefighters and water-dropping helicopters reinforcing fire lines.
The Netherlands also faced a large forest fire in Limburg, prompting the Dutch air force to deploy two Chinook helicopters equipped with water containers. Train services between two towns were suspended, and a nearby campsite was evacuated due to smoke.
The heat wave, described by the U.K. Met Office as the driest July in nearly two centuries, has left much of England and Wales in official drought, while Europe’s overall climate warming continues to increase wildfire risk across the continent.