Overview
- Two Bell firefighting helicopters collided over the Psatha area on Sunday, killing two crew members (a Greek and a Danish national) and leaving two others (a Greek and a British national) with light injuries.
- Firefighting flights restarted on Monday with multiple water‑dropping planes and helicopters joining nearly 500 ground crews to attack the blaze after operations were briefly disrupted by the crash.
- The wildfire began in Boeotia and spread into Attica, burning thousands of hectares, destroying more than 100 homes and forcing mass evacuations by land and by sea from coastal towns near Porto Germeno and Megara.
- A preliminary investigation indicates vibrating conductors on a private transmission line carrying wind‑farm power may have sparked the fire; two people — an electrical engineer and a contractor — have been arrested on felony arson-related charges and probes continue.
- The incident highlights wider pressures from this summer’s record heat and drought that have increased wildfire risk across Europe, strained firefighting resources and prompted international assistance from countries including France and Romania.