Blazing wildfire on Greek island of Rhodes forces mass evacuations

Authorities reported on Saturday that a wildfire that has been blazing on the Greek island of Rhodes for five days caused hundreds of residents to abandon impacted communities and beaches by land and water.

At least 2,000 people, including tourists, were evacuated from beaches between Kiotari and Lardos in the island’s southeast by coastguard vessels and more than 30 private boats, according to coastguard spokesperson Nikos Alexiou on Skai television.

He stated that an effort was underway to evacuate some 600 people from beaches in Kiotari and Gennadi to Plimmiri.

As flames reached the villages of Pefki, Lindos, and Kalathos, authorities encouraged roughly 1,000 residents to flee, according to fire department spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis.

Firefighters battled additional breakouts of the blaze, which was exacerbated by high winds and aided by air water bombers and reinforcements from Slovakia.

Crowds of visitors carrying luggage walked along a road as part of an evacuation operation, as smoke could be seen in the backdrop, according to Greek television.

“We had set up firebreaks around the village of Laerma last night, but a 180-degree change of the winds this morning helped the fire grow much bigger across many kilometres … reaching a tourist area,” Konstantinos Taraslias, a deputy mayor of Rhodes, told Open TV.

Those who have been evacuated are being kept in an indoor stadium and hotels on the island, according to Taraslias. Three passenger ships will also transport visitors during the night, according to the coastguard.

Since erupting in a hilly location on Tuesday, the fire has destroyed swaths of lush woodland. According to the Athens News Agency, it destroyed at least three hotels in the beach resort of Kiotari on Saturday.

On Sunday, civil protection officials warned of a very high chance of wildfires on Rhodes and in many other parts of Greece, as temperatures were anticipated to reach 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) during a heatwave.

Senior government officials will travel to Rhodes to assist the situation. The Greek foreign ministry activated its crisis management unit to offer assistance to foreigners who want to leave the country, it said on Saturday.

Fires are common in Greece but hotter, drier and windy summers have turned the country into a wildfire hotspot in recent years. Meteorologists have warned that the current sweltering temperatures are expected to last until the end of the month.

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