AI Generated Image
Water-dropping planes battle Athens wildfire after helicopter collision
AP News • • nation
Key Points:
- Europe is experiencing a record-breaking hot and dry summer, with major wildfires in Greece and France, and the driest July in nearly 200 years recorded in much of the U.K.
- In Greece, wildfires near Athens escalated after a helicopter collision killed two crew members; over 1,000 people have been evacuated due to the fires, which were blamed on a faulty power line from a wind farm.
- France's largest recorded wildfire burned about 420 square kilometers, leading to the evacuation of more than 224,000 people, many of whom were allowed to return home as the blaze became contained.
- Firefighters continue battling a large wildfire in southern France's Provence region and a significant forest fire in the Netherlands, with authorities deploying helicopters and evacuating campsites due to hazardous conditions.
- Europe is warming at more than twice the global average, leading to prolonged droughts and increased wildfire risk, with high fire danger expected across parts of the continent through early August.
