Thousands of residents and tourists escaping wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes sought refuge in schools and shelters on Sunday, with many evacuating via private boats as flames threatened resorts and coastal communities.
According to Reuters, thousands spent the night on beaches and streets during what was described as Greece's largest evacuation of residents and visitors under emergency conditions.
Wildfires Ravage the Greek Island of Rhodes
Overnight, approximately 19,000 people were evacuated from their residences and hotels as fires that had been burning since Wednesday grew in intensity, ripping through forests until they reached resorts on the island's southeast coast.
Some vacationers reported walking miles in sweltering weather to reach shelter. The flames rendered the trees charred and emaciated. The roadside was littered with dead animals and vehicles that had caught fire.
Rhodes is an extremely popular vacation destination, especially among British tourists. The tour operators Jet2, TUI, and Corendon canceled flights to the island of Rhodes, located southeast of the Greek mainland and renowned for its beaches and ancient ruins.
TUI stated that its teams were doing everything possible to assist consumers and dispatched additional personnel to respond to "a difficult and evolving situation."
According to the Greek transport ministry, TUI and Jet2, which manage the majority of tourism to Rhodes, planned 14 scheduled flights from Rhodes airport, carrying approximately 2,700 passengers until 3 a.m. local time (2400 GMT).
In many regions of Greece, temperatures have exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) over the past week. In addition to Rhodes, emergency services were battling flames on the islands of Evia, east of Athens, and Aigio, southwest of Athens, as well as on the island of Corfu, where several minor settlements were evacuated as a precaution.
The fire on the island of Corfu, west of Greece, was raging on a broad front. A government official stated that boats in the vicinity had been dispatched to evacuate residents by sea.
Matthew Lodge, the British ambassador to Greece, stated that a rapid deployment team would be sent to Rhodes to assist British nationals. Personnel from the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs are en route to Rhodes to establish an assistance desk at Rhodes International Airport for travelers who have misplaced their travel documents.
Fire Brigade spokesperson Yannis Artopios reported that 266 firefighters, 49 engines, and hundreds of volunteers were operating on the ground as of early Sunday afternoon. In the area are ten firefighting aircraft, including two from France, two from Turkey, and one from Croatia, as well as eight helicopters.
According to USA Today, there are significant European Union reinforcements. EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, tweeted early Sunday afternoon, "More than 450 firefighters and seven aircraft from the EU have been dispatched to Greece in response to widespread flames."
In the mountainous region of Rhodes, the wildfire's active front, firemen have been attempting to prevent the conflagration from expanding to dense forests nearby.
A trench was being excavated southwest of the resort of Kiotari, which was the primary target of Saturday's evacuations, to prevent the fire from crossing a watercourse and threatening the village of Gennadi.
On Sunday, the weather in the Mediterranean nation remained sweltering. The temperature had already surpassed 100 degrees Fahrenheit before noon. The winds were weak but notoriously variable on Rhodes as on other Greek islands.
Greece Wildfires May Be Intentional
Families continue to escape the tourist destination as raging fires cause conditions resembling a war zone, and officials warn that the situation could deteriorate. Per Mirror, the emergency services continue to operate in the scorching 42-degree heat as travelers describe the scene as "hell."
Officials report that there are early indications of arson as a police investigation into the devastating conflagration is launched. Vassilis Vathrakogiannis of the Rhodes Fire Department told reporters that the scorching heatwave may not have been the cause of the tragic fire.
A general public member captured the most recent video from the island, which depicts two aircraft lowering hundreds of gallons of water over a damaged area. Sunday's predicted high winds have further hampered firefighters.
They warned yesterday that the battle to contain the flames, which are rampaging amid prime tourism season, will likely take several days. Numerous flights filled with British vacationers are still heading to the island today, much to the consternation of those on the ground, with easyJet stating that they are currently operating "as normal."
The Foreign Office has advised travelers in a country impacted by wildfires to adhere to emergency services' instructions. According to the British ambassador in Greece, a "rapid deployment team" has been dispatched to assist the vacationers.
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