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Two Greek firefighting helicopters collided in midair on Sunday while battling a wind-driven wildfire west of Athens, killing two crew members aboard one of the aircraft. The collision occurred as wildfires across Europe continued to force evacuations and stretch emergency services, with Greece facing multiple fronts and France and Spain battling major blazes.

Coverage comparison

Reports of the collision differ on some details. ABC Australia reported that two firefighters aboard one of the helicopters died in the crash, while the crew on the second helicopter survived. Al Jazeera said the two Bell helicopters, leased by the fire department and carrying four crew members, collided midair in the Psatha area; the fire service confirmed the deaths of two crew members. The South China Morning Post, citing the Greek fire department, reported that all four crew members were recovered after the collision, with two recovered safely and two found unconscious. The Hindu — World noted that a Danish pilot and a Greek co-pilot aboard one of the helicopters were killed, while the other helicopter's crew survived.

The collision occurred as gale-force winds hampered firefighting efforts. Several outlets reported that the strong winds prevented some aircraft from reaching the sea to collect water. ABC Australia and The Hindu — World said the flames spread rapidly through western Attica, threatening communities and an industrial district outside Megara. Al Jazeera reported that the gale-force winds that fuelled a separate fire around Porto Germeno had subsided by Sunday evening.

The collision came as Greece, which had largely avoided major blazes earlier in the summer, faced a second consecutive week of wildfires. The Hindu — World reported that water-bombing aircraft resumed operations on Monday after winds eased, with nine aircraft and nine helicopters joining about 450 firefighters battling fires in Boeotia and Attica. The same report said the wildfires have claimed five lives since last week, including the two helicopter crew members and three firefighters who died while battling separate blazes in Crete and the Peloponnese.

Key claims

  • Two firefighting helicopters collided near Psatha, west of Athens, while battling a wildfire, resulting in two deaths.
  • The wildfires in Greece have claimed five lives as of Monday.
  • More than 12,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land have burned in Greece over the past week.
  • Gale-force winds drove flames through dry forest and prevented some aircraft from reaching the sea to collect water.
  • Europe entered the summer after its worst fire year on record, with more than 10,000 square kilometers burned in 2025.
  • Human-caused climate change made the extreme fire-weather conditions behind this year's French blazes at least twice as likely.
  • Water-bombing aircraft resumed firefighting operations in Greece on Monday after winds eased.

Perspectives

Greek authorities described the situation as "extremely difficult," with Deputy Minister for Civil Protection and Climate Crisis Kostas Katsafados telling public broadcaster ERTNews that the battle against the fires is uneven. A fire service spokesperson said the country faced three difficult fronts: Psatha, Kryo Pigadi, and Kandyli, all west of Athens. The Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, warned of the challenges posed by the fires.