The seriousness of the entire situation that has developed over the past week with the mega-fires in Greece, mainly in Western Attica, but also in Crete, Peloponnese, Paros and elsewhere, is demonstrated by yesterday's presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Civil Protection Operations and Crisis Management Coordination Center, in order to be informed about the progress of firefighting operations throughout the country and in particular about the fire fronts in Attica, with the culmination of the developments being the tragic incident of the collision of the two helicopters, which led to the death of the Danish pilot and the Greek coordinator of one of them. Also present at the Ministry of Civil Protection and Climate Crisis was the President of the Republic (PrD) Konstantinos Tasoulas, who, in a highly symbolic gesture, was there to express his sympathy for the loss of the crew of the helicopter that crashed, while at the same time being informed about the struggle that firefighters are fighting on various fronts, across the territory, as well as about the planning that exists under the current adverse weather conditions.
“It was with deep sorrow that I learned earlier today of the loss of life of the pilot and the coordinator of the firefighting helicopter, during an aerial firefighting operation in Psatha, Attica. Our thoughts are with the families of the two professionals who were lost in such a tragic way. I want to express my deepest condolences”, the President emphasized, among other things, while for his part the Prime Minister underlined: “I express my deepest sorrow for the tragic accident with the two leased firefighting helicopters, which claimed the lives of two frontline fighters in the war on fires, under very adverse weather conditions, especially for our aerial means. The loss of the Greek coordinator and the Danish pilot, while they were operating in the large fire of Porto Germenos, fills us all with sorrow. Sincerely condolences to their families."
At the same time, the deadly fire in Crete, with two more firefighters dead in the Krya Vrysi area in Rethymno, is also shocking the international press, as this tragedy was covered with extensive coverage by the largest international media, with Greece being presented as one of the most critical fronts of the devastating fires in southern Europe.
This macabre list is closed by another dead firefighter, who was working in the Gytheio area, in the Peloponnese, with the relevant information stating that the firefighter died of pathological causes while on duty, without specifying whether the fatal outcome was directly related to the extinguishing process, as he was found by his colleagues unconscious, at a point where there was no active fire front, but carrying his equipment.
The long-lasting fire that broke out inside the fenced area of the island's landfill also caused great destruction in Paros, which resulted in the arrest of the Mayor of Paros, Kostas Bizas, the responsible Deputy Mayor for Cleanliness, the contractor of the Waste Management Agency, as well as a municipal employee, who arrived on the morning of July 30 at the port of Ermoupolis and were immediately brought before the Prosecutor of First Instance of Syros. The fire in Paros led to the long-term interruption of electricity supply to the neighboring islands of Folegandros and Sikinos, with HEDNO making this decision, in order to safely conduct the aerial water discharges.
At the moment, the fiery inferno in Western Attica, which started in Boeotia, is still ongoing, with firefighting forces continuing to battle the flames for the fourth consecutive day, as the settlement of Psatha is being evacuated, while in parallel the flames have reached the yards of houses in Loumpa and a livestock unit is burning in Megara. 112 sounded again for Kandili, Ano Vlychada, Agios Konstantinos, Loumpa, Morfeika, Ano Alepochori.
According to a statement from the Fire Department, the main problem is located in Kandili, Megaron, with forces trying to stop its progress before the Megaron Industrial Area, while the front developing northeast of Psatha is also of great importance, having now approached the settlement.
Very strong ground forces are still operating in the area, specifically 450 firefighters with 126 vehicles and 22 groups of walking departments, volunteers with numerous water vehicles, while 16 aircraft and 4 helicopters have been allocated for aerial firefighting, one of which is for their coordination.
The "DEFKALION" team is providing assistance in the firefighting work, while water tankers and construction machinery have been made available by the Regions of Attica and Central Greece. Also, construction machinery made available by the Construction and Natural Disaster Management Administration is continuing its efforts to open fire zones in collaboration with the Forest Service.
From July 27 to August 2, 2026, a total of 220 agroforestry fires occurred throughout Greece.
photo ELG21, https://pixabay.com
