- By Supratik Das
- Tue, 26 Aug 2025 04:20 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
A firefighting helicopter battling a huge forest fire in western France crashed into Rosporden Lake on Sunday night while trying to scoop water for an airborne drop. Both the crew members aboard, including the pilot and a firefighter, escaped safely from the wreckage and swam ashore, local authorities confirmed.
The Morane 29 water-bomber helicopter made several sorties over Beuzec-Cap-Sizun during the day, performing 27 water drops to stop the fire from encroaching on residential zones. During a refilling mission over Rosporden Lake sometime after 7 pm, the aircraft descended too rapidly. The helicopter's tail hit the water, and it began to spin out of control before crashing into the lake, as described by the local witnesses.
Witnesses Describe Chaotic Scene
David, who captured some of the accident on video, testified that the crash occurred in under ten seconds. "It swooped too low and was coming down quickly. I thought it was going to blow up. Once it rolled over, it went every direction," he told The Sun. Although the plane crashed violently, the pilot and the fireman were able to escape the submerged helicopter independently.
The Finistere prefecture praised the professionalism and calmness of the crew in the face of extreme pressure. "Each day, firefighters and emergency personnel put their lives on the line to save lives and property. Today's accident is a reminder of the risks they take," said officials in a statement. An investigation has begun to determine the precise technical and human elements that caused the crash. A replacement helicopter was sent out at once to resume firefighting operations.
The incident comes amid France’s toughest wildfire season in decades. Earlier this month, the Aude fire in southern France killed one person, injured a minimum of 13 individuals and burned thousands of hectares of land. Officials said it was the largest wildfire since 1949, worsened by heatwaves, hot winds, and record-breaking summer temperatures on mainland Europe. In neighbouring countries, Greece has faced over 50 blazes near Athens, forcing mass evacuations, while Bulgaria reported more than 38,000 square miles of forest loss due to fires between 2024 and 2025.
Despite Sunday’s crash, firefighting operations in Finistere remain active. Aircraft and ground crews continue to protect residential zones and farmland threatened by advancing flames. Officials stated that the summer’s prolonged drought and rising temperatures have placed firefighting services under enormous strain, making aerial operations both indispensable and extremely risky.