Firefighting helicopters collide as Greece battles wildfires across Europe

Two firefighting helicopters collided in midair Sunday while battling a wind-driven wildfire west of Athens. According to Reuters, both crew members of one helicopter died and the other two are hospitalized.

Greece’s Fire Service said the two Bell helicopters collided during a firefighting operation in the Psatha area of western Attica. The aircraft had been working over a blaze northwest of the Greek capital, where strong winds pushed flames through dry forest and toward communities near Megara.

Four crew members were recovered after the crash. The Greek Fire Service told Reuters that both crew members from one helicopter died and that the second crew was rescued alive. Earlier reports said two crew members had been found unconscious after the collision.

The collision came as Greece faced multiple fire fronts after days of dangerous winds. Nearly 500 firefighters and aircraft were deployed around Porto Germeno and other communities near the Gulf of Corinth, while authorities issued evacuation alerts for settlements in western Attica and worked to keep flames from moving toward Megara, a coastal town of about 30,000 people.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the country was confronting extreme weather and winds that, in some cases, exceeded operational planning and made aircraft drops unsafe. Civil protection officials said turbulence and gusts prevented some aircraft from drawing water or making drops.

Fire crews were also responding to blazes on Kefalonia, a popular Ionian island, and in other parts of Greece. Earlier in the week, wildfires on Crete and in the Peloponnese killed firefighters, adding to the strain on emergency services.

The crisis extended beyond Greece. In France, authorities held the perimeter of a large wildfire in the Gironde region but continued to fight hot spots inside a burn scar of about 162 square miles. Thousands of people remained unable to return home, and nearly 3,000 firefighters were deployed against the Gironde fire and another blaze in Provence, according to The Associated Press.

Spain’s major fires showed signs of easing, though officials continued to monitor flare-ups. Together, fires in France and Spain forced roughly a third of a million people from homes and vacation areas at the height of Europe’s summer travel season.