Story perspectives

Two Firefighting Helicopters Collide, Killing Two in Greece Wildfire

8/4/2026

Summary

Greece Battles Wildfire

Greece deployed 450 firefighters and 30 aircraft to fight a wildfire that burned 12,600 hectares northwest of Athens.
The fire started in Boeotia, spread into Attica, destroyed homes and forced evacuations in Psatha.
Two crew members died on August 3 when two U.S.-registered Bell helicopters collided near Psatha.
Greek authorities arrested an electrical engineer and a contractor after investigators linked the blaze to sparks from faulty private power lines.

Summary

Greece Grounds Helicopters

Two Bell helicopters leased from McDermott Aviation collided mid-air over Greece.
Greek civil protection grounded all Bell firefighting helicopters, prompting aviation authorities to open an investigation into protocols for extreme wind conditions.
Crews from Ukraine, Lithuania and French Polynesia, together with Canadair water-bombers, were dispatched to reinforce Greece’s firefighting effort.
Scientists said the Kefalonia blaze forced Pastra evacuations and reflects climate-change-driven fire risk from a record heatwave and prolonged drought.

Summary

Lecornu Names Coordinator

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu named a reconstruction coordinator for fire-hit zones.
The Gironde blaze forced about 224,000 evacuations, with roughly 198,000 residents now returning.
European Commission’s Joint Research Centre estimates average annual wildfire losses at €2 billion.
France’s League for the Protection of Birds says millions of wildlife were impacted by the fires.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez urged a national pact to tackle wildfires.

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Greece Battles Wildfire

Greece deployed 450 firefighters and 30 aircraft to fight a wildfire that burned 12,600 hectares northwest of Athens.
The fire started in Boeotia, spread into Attica, destroyed homes and forced evacuations in Psatha.
Two crew members died on August 3 when two U.S.-registered Bell helicopters collided near Psatha.
Greek authorities arrested an electrical engineer and a contractor after investigators linked the blaze to sparks from faulty private power lines.

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