“It was like the end of the world!” – one of the tourists who fled from the famous Greek resort of Rhodes in a panic told the local press. Immediately, several resorts on this Greek island began an emergency evacuation due to forest fires approaching the coast, tourists are being evacuated by the thousands, while the fire is already moving to the hotel.
According to the Greek press, the deputy chief of the Greek Fire Service, Yannis Artapoyos, said that the fire that started on the mountain in the center of the island was the most difficult that the firefighters of Rhodes had ever faced. At least three popular resorts where mainly British tourists stayed were under attack – we are talking about the districts of Kiotari and Lardos. The fire blocked the land roads and tourists had to be transported by sea, coast guard vessels and more than 20 private boats participated in the evacuation.
“It was like the end of the world,” said one of the roughly 2,000 British tourists who evacuated from Kiotari and Lardos on the island’s southeast coast. According to him, it all started when tourists noticed “some black clouds” floating over the hotel during dinner on Thursday evening. On Saturday, at breakfast, the tourists noticed that the sky was turning orange and the sea was turning black with soot. “It’s like in a horror movie when everyone looks at the sky and asks each other what happened, what’s going on,” says the tourist. The official evacuation announcement found them packing. At the same time, the first buses that arrived took only children and women, the rest of the tourists were sent on foot to the nearest beach – about 5 km.
“At first it wasn’t bad there, there weren’t many people, there were a couple of cafes and bars that served beer and soft drinks, and we were sure that we were away from the fire. But people kept arriving and arriving, and we began to worry more and more about how to get out. Meanwhile, it was getting dark – and suddenly a flame flew into the sky, the whole sky turned completely orange – it was like the end of the world! Therefore, when the announcement of rescue boats was heard, everyone rushed to the nearest piers in a panic,” he says.
The tourist and his family were lucky enough to be on one of the small boats that took tourists to larger vessels. At the same time, according to him, when he managed to dive – people were in a panic, pushing and almost fighting – there were still hundreds of people on the beach, and the beach was also “covered with suitcases” because tourists’ luggage was not taken on board.
Authorities report that more than 200 firefighters and 40 fire engines, assisted by three planes and five helicopters, are fighting the blaze in Rhodes.
The force includes 31 firefighters from Slovakia with five fire trucks. Israel, Jordan, and Turkey also sent reinforcements, mostly airlift. They also reported that the sea resorts on the central-eastern side of Rhodes are under attack. Evacuated residents and tourists have been redirected to hotels, conference centers, schools, and other public places. The warning was also sounded for Lindos, a city popular with tourists and famous for its acropolis, built before 300 BC. The eastern cities of Massari, Malonas, and Charaki are also under threat of evacuation.
At the same time, the British media are outraged that flights to the island are mostly carried out as usual. Tour operators including Tui, Jet2, and easyJet have issued statements saying they are working with local authorities to help their affected customers. However, air carriers assure that they are ready to change the time of departure for tourists who want to fly away free of charge, and some even assure that a special team has been activated to help holidaymakers who find themselves in an evacuation situation. “Customers currently in Rhodes who need to get home early can change their return flight free of charge, while anyone due to fly out of the UK next week can change their flight to a later date,” said British Airways, for example. And tour operator TUI added that a small number of hotels were affected, and as a precaution, the tour operator is relocating affected customers and providing them with alternative accommodation. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) says travel insurance will not work for those canceling their trips because of bushfire fears unless the UK government cancels travel to the area.
At the same time, the Greek authorities also report that the entire eastern part of mainland Greece, as well as the islands of Evia and Rhodes, have been assigned to risk category 5, the highest for fires. An even greater part of the country was assigned to category 4.