Two Crews Dead After Helicopter Collision as Greece Fights 220 Fires

Emergency services in Greece are battling wildfires for a second consecutive day after two firefighting helicopters collided in midair on Sunday, killing two crew members. One victim was Greek, the other Danish; they were operating on a blaze near Porto Germeno, roughly 65 km west of Athens. Two other crew members — a British national and a Greek — were pulled from their helicopter alive.

Authorities have deployed nearly 500 firefighters west of Athens, supported by water-dropping planes from early Monday morning. The national fire service says about 220 agro-forest fires have broken out across Greece since July 27. A high-risk warning remains in place until at least Tuesday around the capital, and hundreds of people have already been evacuated from surrounding areas. Additional evacuation notices have been issued for the seaside resort of Porto Germeno.

Chief fire officer Vasilios Vathrakoyannis described the period as 'perhaps the most difficult days of the summer,' saying strong winds created extremely difficult conditions. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said extreme turbulence had at times made water intakes and water drops impossible, placing the burden of the battle almost exclusively on frontline responders. Greek authorities have also issued 22 administrative fines totaling €70,100 (about $80,666) and made arrests on suspicion of arson-related crimes, officials said.

The fires in Greece are part of a broader European crisis. France is fighting blazes that President Emmanuel Macron called the toughest since the Second World War, Spain's Madrid region reported its worst fires on record, and an emergency was declared in Suffolk, England, after a large grass fire. Much of Europe is in the grip of another heat wave, and England and Wales recorded their driest July on record, with drought declared in seven areas of England. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the wildfires 'the most painful expression' of the climate emergency.

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Why Wind, Heat and Grounded Aircraft Are Stretching Greece's Fire Response

Why Aerial Firefighting Is Struggling in Greece

The key constraint in the current Greek operation is wind, not resources. Mitsotakis explicitly said that when winds are strong, even dozens of aircraft cannot operate safely; turbulence has prevented both water pickups and drops. That shifts the fight to ground crews, which explains why roughly 500 firefighters are concentrated west of Athens. The midair collision is a reminder that aerial operations carry real risk, and grounded aircraft lengthen response times. Officially, the cause of the collision has not been stated, only that it occurred during operations near Psatha in the Attica region.

A Mediterranean Fire Season With a European Footprint

Greece is not an isolated case. The same heat wave is coinciding with fires in France, Spain and England, with officials in multiple countries describing conditions as record-breaking. The drought declaration in seven English areas and the provisional driest July on record in England and Wales provide a measure of how dry fuels are. In this context, the Greek fires are one data point in a wider pattern rather than a single national event.

Deterrence and Attribution

The fines and arrests for suspected arson show Greek authorities treating human ignition seriously, but the official comments attribute the current severity primarily to weather. The fines issued so far amount to €70,100 across 22 cases. It remains uncertain whether those cases are linked to the current fires or to earlier incidents in the season.

What to Know Around Athens and Porto Germeno as the Fire Risk Persists

For residents and travellers in the affected areas, the practical picture is still changing quickly. What is known as of Monday morning:

  • If you are near Porto Germeno or the zones west of Athens where evacuations have been ordered, leave when instructed; hundreds of people have already been moved out of the region.
  • Plan for disruption in and around Athens until at least Tuesday, when the high-risk fire warning is currently set to remain in force.
  • Do not assume water-dropping aircraft will be overhead in all conditions — officials say strong winds can ground aerial resources, making ground crews and evacuation orders the main protection.