Key Takeaways
- Two firefighting helicopters collided in Greece, destroying over 100 homes.
- Wildfires continue to rage across Europe, including Spain and France.
- Washington state declares emergency due to one of its worst fire seasons on record.
In Greece, two firefighting helicopters collided while battling a massive wildfire northwest of Athens, destroying more than 100 homes. State broadcaster ERT reported that one crewmember was found safe, but the second remains missing as rescuers search for them.
Meanwhile, in France and Spain, destructive wildfires showed signs of easing over the weekend after intense periods of blazes. In Greece, gale-force winds subsided around Porto Germeno on the Gulf of Corinth, but flames spread to the settlement of Veniza and a military firing range, igniting unexploded ordnance.
Firefighters in Greece focused their efforts on preventing the fire from advancing towards the coastal town of Megara, which has a population of approximately 30,000. In France, wildfires in the Gironde and Var departments showed minor flare-ups, with authorities reporting that the blaze in the southeastern Var department had not spread overnight.
In central Spain, wildfires that burned through tens of thousands of hectares over the past week were mostly under control, though firefighters dealt with reignitions in some areas. In the western province of Caceres, a forest blaze prompted the evacuation of around 800 people on Saturday, allowing them to return home but remaining confined as the fire was still active.
In the US city of Spokane, Washington state declared an emergency over one of its worst fire seasons on record. Governor Bob Ferguson noted that the Pacific Northwest is enduring a fourth consecutive year of drought due to climate change, which creates conditions conducive to destructive wildfires. More than 200,000 acres were burning across the northwestern state during this period.
Video footage from Spokane showed house after house engulfed by flames or reduced to ash as wind-fueled blazes burned out of control in hot, bone-dry weather. The city's population of around 230,000 was forced to evacuate due to the fast-moving wildfire on Saturday.
Experts attribute these wildfires to climate change and record-breaking heatwaves with little rain, exacerbating conditions for fires across North America and Europe.
