France and Greece still besieged by fire

The most worrying fire fronts are concentrated in the areas of Agios Nektarios, Kandili and Kryo Pigadi, where ground crews and aerial resources are working continuously to stem the spread of the fire and extinguish new outbreaks before the strengthening winds can make the situation worse. The fire has already swept through the village of Agia Skepi, causing damage to a number of homes.

Two crew members died following a mid-air collision between two helicopters involved in forest fire-fighting operations. The victims were a Danish pilot and a liaison officer from the Greek fire service. A British pilot and another Greek coordinator on board the second helicopter survived. A video of the accident, which took place around 65 km west of Athens, shows one of the two Bell helicopters striking the rotors of the other, which then caught fire and crashed into a ravine. The other helicopter made an emergency landing.

In Italia, as regards wildfires, the situation remains critical at present in the Alessandria area, in Valchiavenna and on the Karst. The fire service is currently working to bring under control the flames that broke out yesterday afternoon in the municipality of Mornese, near Alessandria. The blaze broke out in the pine forest, where civil protection volunteers and firefighters have been working for hours to contain the fire, which has produced a column of smoke visible even from a distance. The local council has asked the public not to approach the area.

In Valchiavenna, the rain that has fallen over the last few hours has not been enough to lift the wildfire alert in the municipality of Gordona. Since Saturday evening, particularly in the Torre di Segname area, fire-fighting operations have continued non-stop, and this morning a Canadair aircraft and fire-fighting helicopters were deployed, continuously dropping water drawn from the nearby River Mera onto a section of the fire that is particularly difficult to reach by land. Also working at the scene are firefighters from the Mese (Sondrio) detachment and forest firefighting teams, who are attempting to contain the spread of the flames and limit damage to vegetation following weeks without rainfall and with the ground parched.

 The fire, which is clearly visible even from several kilometres away, continues to cause concern amongst residents. Some mountain huts at higher altitudes have been touched by the flames. The causes are still under investigation, but one of the hypotheses being considered is that the fire was caused by a lightning strike in the woods, as was previously suggested for a similar incident that occurred in the same area just under two weeks ago.

The fire that broke out yesterday in the Trieste Karst, where fire service ground vehicles and helicopters are currently in operation, is still burning 24 hours on but is being kept under control by the fire service. Compared with the situation in the last few hours, the flames have been kept at a distance from homes, but fire-fighting operations are still under way. It emerged this evening that the fire service helicopter has returned to base and has been replaced by a similar aircraft from the Italian army. The fire service will continue to operate throughout the coming night, maintaining a monitoring presence to assess the situation.

Turning to the US, it is worth noting the wildfires that have struck the eastern part of Washington State, forcing the evacuation of 60,000 people in the Spokane area – including patients at the veterans’ hospital – and destroying at least 600 buildings, including homes, businesses and other structures. The fires have scorched over 8.2 square miles around Spokane, the second-largest city in Washington State, and on Sunday officials reported that 390 square miles had gone up in smoke across the state. These fires are among dozens that have struck the western United States. US emergency services have been working for ten days to extinguish a fire that has burnt nearly 525 square miles in western Idaho and eastern Oregon.