Europe and US on High Alert Amid Heatwaves and Droughts as Wildfires Spread

[Anchor]

Record-breaking heatwaves and droughts this summer are fueling the spread of wildfires across regions in Europe and the United States. In Greece, two people were killed when a helicopter deployed to fight a wildfire collided with another, while evacuation orders have been issued in the western United States.

Paris correspondent Kwon Yeongin reports.

[Reporter]

Two firefighting helicopters approach the same area.

Just before releasing water, the helicopters overlap vertically and end up colliding.

The accident killed the two pilots aboard the lower helicopter.

The two helicopters had been deployed to battle a massive wildfire northwest of Athens, Greece, which has destroyed more than 100 homes.

In Greece, where wildfires have burned 12,000 hectares—equivalent to 17,000 soccer fields—over the past week, three firefighters have also died during firefighting operations.

[Georgios Mavroidis / Greek Resident: It is truly devastating here. It is really not good. The winds are strong and keep shifting direction. It is so difficult to cope.]

Wildfires also broke out simultaneously in Washington state in the western U.S., destroying hundreds of homes and forcing some 60,000 residents to urgently evacuate.

In particular, a heat dome phenomenon that traps heat near the surface is spreading widely across the western U.S., heightening concerns over the further spread of wildfires.

[Dave Upsgrove / Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands (Note: Land Commissioner/official context matched): This is completely unlike a normal year. Due to compounding severe weather conditions and simultaneous wildfires breaking out all across the West, firefighting resources are being stretched to their limits.]

Drought damage is also severe in Europe.

Water levels in the Danube River, which flows through 10 European countries, have dropped to record lows, prompting Hungary to halt operations at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant for the first time in 44 years.

The Hungarian government, which has already restricted water usage in about 100 regions including the capital Budapest, is now considering measures to limit corporate electricity consumption as the shutdown of the Paks plant—which accounts for 40% of the nation's electricity generation—takes effect.

The Rhine River flowing through Germany has also recorded historic low water levels, causing cargo traffic through canals to drop to one-third of normal levels.

In France, crop yields are projected to hit a 15-year low, while secondary and tertiary damages from the heatwaves and droughts continue to spread.

(Camera by Kim Si-nae | Video Editing by Jung Sung-hoon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.