MEGARA, Greece (AP) — Sasa, an alert and floppy-eared mixed-breed puppy, did not return home when the remaining containment lines were lifted Wednesday in the wake of a wildfire that swept across mountains and coastal areas near Athens.
The pup was one of hundreds of pets and wild animals rescued by volunteers this week during the blaze, which prompted multiple evacuations.
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A volunteer tends to dogs rescued from recent wildfires at a temporary shelter inside a stadium in Megara, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A dog rescued from recent wildfires rests in a crate at a temporary animal shelter inside a stadium in Megara, west of Athens, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A volunteer tends to a dog rescued from recent wildfires at a temporary shelter inside a stadium in Megara, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A volunteer tends to a dog rescued from recent wildfires at a temporary shelter inside a stadium in Megara, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A dogs rescued from recent wildfires looks on at a temporary shelter inside a stadium in Megara, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
The fire — at one point burning on five fronts — torched dozens of homes and more than 100 square kilometers (39 square miles) of land. It was the latest scene of destruction during Europe’s searing summer, where massive fires — including in countries accustomed to cooler summers — have worried animal welfare groups.
In the town of Megara, 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Athens, rescue organizer Elena Dede said the local volunteer effort saved more than 280 animals, mostly dogs, during scorching heat and high winds.
Sasa and others were housed on an indoor sports court inside a collapsible wire cage with a rubber ball to play with and a metal water bowl.
“There was so much heat and the fire was so aggressive. It was changing directions all the time,” Dede said.
Richard Parr, director of the U.K.-based Center for Wild Animal Welfare, described these animal rescue efforts by firefighters and local charities as “heroic” but argued that hotter summers are increasing the risk facing millions of animals.
“At the moment, all too often, it is ad hoc, and it falls on the shoulders of private individuals, small charities,” he said. “The scale of the challenges they’re facing in terms of the number of animals affected and the areas of fire is gigantic and completely out of step.”
The organization is campaigning for a dedicated European Union animal rescue service and funding to address the problem.
“There’s just a massive mismatch between the huge scale of this problem and the resources and the capacity that are available to respond to it,” Parr said.
He also urged governments to consider setting up “fire refuges” for animals, such as ponds and rock piles that could offer shelter.
In Greece, the blaze has left rescuers with a logistical headache: where to return displaced animals like Sasa. Dede said local authorities were helping match missing-animal notices with rescued animals and find temporary homes until the process was completed.
However, she said she was mindful that the dogs at the stadium were among the fortunate.
“It was really hard for every volunteer and every person involved to survive the smoke and the stress,” she said.
“I will never forget the animals that we knew were left behind. I’m just hoping they were saved and ran free."
Petros Giannakouris in Megara, Greece contributed.
A volunteer tends to dogs rescued from recent wildfires at a temporary shelter inside a stadium in Megara, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A dog rescued from recent wildfires rests in a crate at a temporary animal shelter inside a stadium in Megara, west of Athens, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A volunteer tends to a dog rescued from recent wildfires at a temporary shelter inside a stadium in Megara, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A volunteer tends to a dog rescued from recent wildfires at a temporary shelter inside a stadium in Megara, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A dogs rescued from recent wildfires looks on at a temporary shelter inside a stadium in Megara, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Embattled North Carolina Republican congressman Chuck Edwards withdrew from his reelection campaign on Wednesday, two days after the House Ethics Committee recommended he be censured for unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female aides in his office.
The 65-year-old Edwards, who is serving his second term, said that he made the decision to drop his reelection bid after “much prayer and reflection” and that he would complete the current term.
The Ethics Committee recommended the censure, an act registering its deep disapproval of a lawmaker’s conduct that does not meet the threshold for expulsion, on Monday. The panel highlighted numerous examples of actions it considered improper, including Edwards providing the young women with lavish and recurrent gifts, making comments regarding their appearance and dress, inviting them to intimate dinners and vacations, and sending notes regarding his affection.
Edwards denied that any of his conduct was intended as a sexual or romantic advance, but the committee said his behavior would “lead a reasonable observer to interpret it as such.”
“Serving Western North Carolina has been the honor of my life,” Edwards said in a post on X. “Thank you for your trust, prayers, and support. God bless WNC and America.”
North Carolina Republican Sen. Ted Budd said Edwards "did the right thing by withdrawing from the race.”
In a statement, the senator said the congressman has been “a fighter for the people of Western North Carolina as they work to recover from the impacts of Hurricane Helene, and I know he’ll continue to advocate for disaster funding for the remainder of his time in D.C.”
Budd’s spokesman, Christian McMullen, said the senator found the House Ethics Committee's report on Edwards “deeply concerning" and believed the congressman already faced a significant uphill battle trailing in the polls even before the report's publication. He declined to say whether the senator asked his colleague to step aside, saying the senator does not discuss private conversations.
The Ethic Committee described Edwards' actions as “beyond inappropriate” but said it found no evidence that he explicitly propositioned any people under his employ or engaged in any sexual activity with them.
In a response to the Ethics Committee's report, Edwards’ attorneys argued that the committee’s findings “exonerate” the congressman. His attorneys said the recommendation of censure was an “extraordinarily harsh and infrequent punishment” based on vague standards, “not based on a direct violation of House rules addressing sexual misconduct.”
State law requires Edwards to put his intent to withdraw in writing and submit it to the state Board of Elections before ballots are mailed to overseas voters and the military. The Republican executive committee in Edwards' 11th Congressional District will meet next week to select a nominee for the midterm election.
“The people of Western North Carolina deserve a strong conservative voice on the ballot this November, and our Party is prepared to move through this process quickly and efficiently,” state GOP Chairman Jason Simmons said in a statement.
The political upheaval in North Carolina adds to the difficulty Republicans face as they work to keep their slim majority control of the House this fall.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is already juggling other disruptions, including in Ohio, where Republican Rep. Max Miller faces his own ethics investigation in a district that typically has been favorable to the GOP.
Johnson, R-La., has remained upbeat about his party's chances of keeping House control, but he can only afford to lose a few seats that will make the difference between which party holds the powerful speaker's gavel.
The seat Edwards will be vacating encompasses much of the rural western part of the state but also progressive Asheville, and it has been one to watch as a bellwether in the race for the House, as Republicans and Democrats battle for party control.
Even before the decision by Edwards to step aside, election analysts had shifted their assessment of the race from one that was more favorable to Republicans to more competitive.
Democrats, who have nominated farmer Jamie Ager as their candidate, have poured attention on the district as one to flip to their column.
Republicans had wanted Edwards to step aside and believe the seat is still winnable for the GOP, hoping to mount a fresh campaign with a new candidate.
Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.
FILE - Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., listens to testimony as the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight holds a field hearing on violent crime in Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond, File)
