Greece Battles Raging Wildfires After Collision Between Firefighting Helicopters Kills Two

Emergency services in Greece are rigorously battling wildfires across the country, a day after two firefighting helicopters collided in midair, killing two crew members.Almost 500 firefighters have been deployed to stop advancing wildfires west of Athens, with water-dropping planes utilized early Monday morning in an effort to stem the blazes.A high risk warning is in place until at least Tuesday for areas surrounding Athens, with hundreds of people already evacuated from the nearby regions.The Greek seaside resort of Porto Germeno has also issued further evacuation notices as emergency services continue to tackle major blazes.Chief fire officer Vasilios Vathrakoyannis referred to the uphill battle as “perhaps the most difficult days of the summer,” noting that the strong winds have “created extremely difficult conditions.”Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also highlighted the plight of the emergency services, explaining how “the burden of the battle” has fallen almost exclusively on “frontline” responders due to unforgiving weather conditions.“When the winds blow with such force, even the dozens of aerial resources at our disposal cannot operate safely,” he said. “In severa...