Canadair Firebombers Down in Greece, Italy

two firefighting aircraft and crew were lost Monday in separate countries.

A Canadair CL-415 "water bomber" tanker was attempting a water drop on a fire near the Stira resort on Evia island in Greece and was reportedly flying through thick smoke when it impacted a hillside as Greek firefighters struggle with massive wildfires and temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Associated Press.

"From accounts we heard from witnesses, the plane flew very low to make its drop and then couldn't gain enough height in time," Stira Mayor Sofia Moutsou said. "They saved our village, but it cost them their lives."

Flight Lieutenant Dimitris Stoilidis, 34, and Flying Officer Yiannis Hatzoudis, 27, perished in the accident.

The Evia fire has forced hundreds of evacuations and destroyed several homes and is only one of more than 2,000 fires that have plagued the country since June.

A second Canadair firefighting aircraft also went down Monday in the Abruzzo region of central Italy, reported the AP. One of the crew members was lost and the other reportedly seriously injured, according to Italy's Civil Protection Department. That country is also struggling with persistent wildfires and high temperatures.

Greek politicians paid tribute to the country's Fire Service, an agency that has lost five members this year in the line of duty. In addition to Monday's casualties, three were killed July 11 while fighting a forest fire on the island of Crete.

"The pilots of these fire planes died defending us ... I express my deep sense of grief to their families," President Karolos Papoulias said.

FMI: www.protezionecivile.it, www.canadair.com