Following the evacuation of thousands of tourists and locals, the fires continue to rage in the southeast of the popular Greek holiday destination of Rhodes. Flames are spreading in three areas, including the well-known tourist resorts of Kiotari, Gennadi, and Kalathos. Authorities estimate that it may take several more days to bring the fires under control.
The fire department announced that with the first light of day, firefighting airplanes and helicopters would once again be deployed around the town of Laerma. Throughout the night, hundreds of emergency personnel fought to prevent the flames from spreading to other villages and towns, as reported by the state television (ERT). The fire department issued a warning that the wildfire risk would remain very high in the southeast of the island today and on Tuesday, due to an increase in wind.
On Sunday, ten firefighting planes and eight helicopters were used on Rhodes. This included two planes from France, two from Turkey, one from Croatia, and a helicopter from Jordan, as announced by the fire department. Persistent heat and strong winds further complicated the firefighting efforts. A large part of the Mediterranean island was left without electricity as the public energy provider PPC shut down the local power plant in the south for safety reasons.
Nearly 20,000 people brought to safety
According to authorities, nearly 20,000 people were evacuated to safety on Sunday. Some tourists recounted seeing the fire approaching as they fled and experiencing a sense of imminent danger. German holidaymakers reported problems in the mass accommodations, where there were no showers, difficult sanitary conditions, and inadequate sleeping arrangements.
Local authorities appealed for donations of mattresses and bed linen and admitted difficulties in providing food supplies. The Greek government established an emergency office at Rhodes airport to issue documents in an uncomplicated manner. Many tourists on Rhodes had to leave everything behind, including their identification documents, while fleeing from the fire.
Thousands of tourists who had to leave their hotels around the popular resort town of Lindos on Saturday due to heavy smoke and approaching flames spent the second night in sports halls and schools. Many awaited the next opportunity to fly out at the airport.
Fires on other islands as well
Meanwhile, additional fires broke out in Greece, including one on the second-largest Greek island, Euboea. Authorities instructed residents of four villages in the southern part of the island to evacuate to safety.
There are also fires on the popular holiday island of Corfu, and late on Sunday, evacuations were initiated by land and sea. Authorities issued evacuation alerts for twelve villages, as reported by the Athens News Agency. The coastguard informed that a rescue operation was underway at Nissaki beach in the northeast of the island, with six coastguard ships and seven private boats already rescuing 59 people from the beach.
Temperatures rose above 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit) in southwest Greece on Sunday. However, there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon: next Thursday, the heatwave that has persisted in Greece for nearly two weeks is expected to come to an end. According to forecasts, temperatures will return to around 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), which is more typical for the season, instead of the current 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and higher.