Two Greek firefighting helicopters collided in midair on Sunday as they were battling a wind-driven wildfire west of Athens, sending one aircraft crashing to the ground. Two crew members, a Greek and a Danish national, died in the crash.

The collision laid bare the danger at the most volatile front of Europe’s wildfire emergency. Strong winds drove flames deeper into the region of the Greek capital and forced fresh evacuations, France guarded a still-burning scar four times the size of Paris, while Spain’s major fires stopped advancing.

The aircraft were Bell helicopters operating over the Psatha area west of Athens, each with a two-person crew.

Foreign firefighting and helicopter crews are often deployed in Greece to help tackle wildfires during the country’s hot, dry summers.

The two crew members who were recovered alive were a Greek and a British national.

Farther west, containment brought no end to the emergency. France’s largest wildfire remained held within its perimeter after forcing 224,000 people to flee in what may have been the country’s largest civilian evacuation outside wartime.

Together, fires in France and Spain have driven roughly a third of a million people from homes and vacation sites, emptied communities at the height of the European summer and stretched emergency services across simultaneous disasters.

WASHINGTON

Miller shoudn’t serve, senator says

U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno said his former son-in-law, U.S. Rep. Max Miller, should not be serving in the House and should “seek professional help” as Miller defended himself against allegations of domestic abuse in a live video on X Sunday.

Moreno, who has been publicly restrained in recent months as the bitter custody dispute has played out between Miller and his daughter Emily, said in a lengthy post: “If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them. He should not serve in the House of Representatives.”

Moreno wrote that Miller “needs serious psychological help. He is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter.”

Miller said Sunday that he will remain in his race for re-election.

WASHINGTON

5K homes evacuated due to WILDfires

About 5,000 homes have been evacuated and about 600 homes, businesses and other buildings have been destroyed by wildfires that remained uncontained Sunday in eastern Washington state, authorities said.

The fires burned more than 8.2 square miles around Spokane, the second largest city in Washington, and were among dozens across the western U.S. — stretching the ability of federal, state and local agencies to fight them.

NEW YORK

‘Sopranos’ actor pastore dies at 80

Vincent Pastore, a veteran actor who played mobsters and tough guys, and was best known for portraying Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on “The Sopranos,” has died. He was 80.

Bob McGowan, who managed Pastore since his run on “The Sopranos,” told the Associated Press that he learned of his death Saturday from another client and actor on the show, Vincent Curatola.

He said Pastore was found in his home on New York’s City Island after not being heard from for a few days.

Michael Imperioli, a longtime friend and collaborator, said on Instagram that it seemed as though he had known pastore forever.

“We did lots of work together and traveled all over the USA as well as Italy and Australia. Lots of good times. Lots of laughs,” Imperioli said. “Vinny was a kind-hearted brother who cared deeply about his family and friends. I will miss him always.”

JAPAN

Woman sheltering in car dies from heat

An elderly woman who developed heat stroke while taking shelter in a car is the latest fatality from a powerful earthquake that struck Japan’s southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto last week, officials said Sunday as concerns over heat-related illnesses grow in an area that is also suffering extreme temperatures.

The woman in her 70s with apparent heat stroke was found in a car, Kumamoto officials said, as they raised the death toll from the quake to 36. The magnitude 7.1 hit Kumamoto Prefecture on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday.

Kumamoto authorities were to start delivering leaflets to those taking shelter in their cars, urging them to stay in cool places and take sufficient liquids, and regularly exercise to avoid blood clotting risks.

PERU

13 die when plane crashes near Nazca

A plane carrying European tourists to view the famed Nazca Lines crashed into a field Saturday outside the Peruvian city of Nazca, killing 13 people, local authorities said.

Nazca’s municipal government said the plane departed from the nearby city of Ica and was operated by Peruvian company Aerodiana.

The Nazca Lines are a group of extensive geoglyphs scraped into the desert around Nazca hundreds of years ago by Peru’s Indigenous inhabitants. The lines form images of animals that can only be fully appreciated from planes or viewing towers.

Among the dead were seven Italian citizens between the ages of 18 and 54, two 52-year-old Spaniards and two Germans of 77 and 78 years, Peru’s Transportation Ministry said.

— From news services