Two Aerial Firefighters Killed as Greece’s Wildfire Battle Turns Deadly
Two aerial firefighters have died after two helicopters collided in mid-air while battling a major wildfire near Psatha, west of Athens.
The Bell helicopters were operating over the wildfire zone in Greece’s Attica region on Sunday, August 2. Each aircraft carried a two-person crew. A Greek national and a Danish national aboard one helicopter were killed after that aircraft crashed, according to the Greek Fire Service.
The second helicopter was able to land safely. Its two crew members—a Greek national and a British national—survived the collision.
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Video circulating from the scene appears to show the aircraft crossing paths at low altitude before one helicopter falls toward the ground. Authorities had not established the official cause of the collision at the time of publication, and the incident remained under investigation.
The crash occurred during an already dangerous wildfire emergency across Greece. Strong winds had driven fires through parts of western Attica, forcing evacuations and damaging homes while hundreds of firefighters and multiple aircraft worked across active fronts.
Aerial firefighting places crews inside one of the most difficult operating environments in aviation: low altitude, reduced visibility, heat, smoke, shifting winds and several aircraft moving around the same fire zone. Sunday’s collision brought that risk into devastating focus.
The identities of the crew members had not been publicly released in the initial Fire Service account beyond their nationalities. The confirmed toll was two dead and two survivors.
The footage below documents the collision itself and may be distressing. It is included because it records a consequential breaking-news event, not for shock value.
Watch Footage of the Greece Firefighting Helicopter Collision
Viewer discretion: The supplied YouTube Short shows the fatal mid-air collision near Psatha.
See INYIM Media’s Psatha Helicopter Collision Reel
The Instagram reel presents the same breaking-news incident in short-form coverage. Viewer discretion is advised.
Source: Greek Fire Service reporting via Reuters and Associated Press; supplied social footage.
