Europe is enduring record-breaking summer heat as wildfires ravage Greece, France, and Spain, prompting mass evacuations. On Sunday, August 2nd, 2026, two firefighting helicopters collided mid-air in the Psatha area near Athens while combating wildfires that have destroyed over a hundred homes and forced evacuations across Greece.
Television footage showed one helicopter explode and crash in flames after an apparent rotor collision. A search-and-rescue operation is underway for the four missing pilots.
Gale-force winds that fueled the Porto Germeno fire have subsided, but flames reached the settlement of Veniza. Authorities are making major efforts to prevent the fire from spreading to the nearby coastal town of Megara, according to the Greek daily Protothema.
Local resident Tasos Tzempelikos, 61, stated, “We as residents are doing everything we can,” as he and his son poured water on the fire.
On the island of Kefalonia, a 44-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of deliberately starting a fire in the Pastra area, the Greek ANA news agency reported.
Meanwhile, Hungary’s Prime Minister Peter Magyar warned of a critical five-day period due to the drying Danube River, a nuclear shutdown, and water-use restrictions affecting over 100 cities and villages.
The United Nations has also highlighted the role of a powerful El Nino event intensifying global heat on “a planet already on fire.”
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