Water-dropping planes operated over a major wildfire west of Athens on Monday, one day following a midair collision between two firefighting helicopters that killed two crew members.
The collision resulted in the deaths of a Greek and a Danish national, while two other privately charted operators were hospitalized. The weekend's firefighting efforts across mountainous and coastal regions were complicated by powerful gales.
As parts of southern Europe contended with high temperatures, firefighters in France monitored a still-burning area four times the size of Paris for potential flare-ups.
Easing winds helped curb the fire's spread on Monday, enabling the deployment of 12 water-dropping planes and 11 helicopters near the seaside resort of Porto Germenos, where multiple evacuations had been ordered.
Fire Service spokesman Yiannis Artopios stated, “To put it in a headline: conditions are better but we are pressing forward because there are still multiple points of activity. This is a difficult fire that has troubled us.”
Approximately 500 firefighters worked to halt the blaze's advance, though authorities cautioned that areas surrounding Athens remained at high risk. Over 1,000 individuals had been evacuated from the region, including more than 250 rescued by boat from local beaches.
The fire was attributed to a faulty power line originating from a wind farm, leading to the arrest of two contractors on charges of negligent arson.
Despite enhanced detection methods and increased cooperation among European Union members, Greece and other nations along Europe's Mediterranean coast face devastating wildfires every summer as heatwave periods lengthen.
According to the European Union’s Copernicus climate service, Europe is Earth’s fastest-warming continent, heating at more than twice the global average since the 1980s. Rising temperatures and prolonged drought contribute to drier, more combustible vegetation, enabling fires to spread faster and burn with greater intensity.
Massive French Blaze Contained as Residents Return Home
In France, thousands of evacuees were permitted to return home or relocate to holiday accommodations on Monday after a massive wildfire remained contained. Officials reported that over 224,000 people had fled the area in what was described as the country’s largest civilian evacuation outside of wartime.
The wildfire burned approximately 420 square kilometers (162 square miles), marking it as France's largest recorded wildfire. Monday's return included the Cap Ferret peninsula, a popular Atlantic coast tourist destination, and Le Porge, the municipality most affected by the fire, where 183 homes were destroyed. Campsites remain closed.
Firefighters and authorities noted that a second wildfire in Provence did not erupt overnight but was also not contained on Monday due to anticipated stronger winds. About 1,500 firefighters continued reinforcing fire lines along this blaze, which affected roughly 18 square kilometers (7 square miles), supported by water-dropping helicopters.