Greece Wildfire Kills Two Firefighters as 100 km/h Winds Fan Flames Near Athens

Greece entered its second week of wildfires Monday as extreme winds continued to drive flames across Western Attica, the region surrounding the capital Athens, while firefighters from multiple countries battled blazes across Southern Europe.

Two firefighters died Sunday after two helicopters collided in the Western Athens region. A Danish pilot and a Greek fire service official were killed in the collision. Two firefighters in the second helicopter survived after making an emergency landing and are currently hospitalized, according to CNBC.

The fires have been driven by the Meltemi, Greece's seasonal dry winds that affect the country during July and August. In some areas, wind speeds reached between 80 and 100 kilometers per hour. As winds eased on Monday, water-bombing aircraft returned to the skies to continue fighting the flames.

The crisis is not limited to Greece. A major wildfire broke out in France's Bordeaux region in late July and spread into parts of Spain. It has burned hundreds of thousands of acres across the two countries. Officials described the situation as unprecedented and historic, and the fire forced the largest evacuation in France's history.

Southern Europe has been dealing with a broad heatwave that has stretched across multiple countries simultaneously, straining firefighting resources and pushing temperatures to levels that create extreme fire conditions. The combination of heat, dry vegetation, and powerful winds has made containment efforts significantly more difficult.

Water-bombing operations resumed Monday as winds calmed, but fire officials have not yet declared any of the major blazes under control. The situation in Western Attica remained active, and the deaths of the two airborne firefighters added urgency to calls for additional international support as the region heads deeper into the peak summer fire season.