Over 2,000 people evacuated due to Wildfire on Greek island of Rhodes

On Saturday (July 22), Greek officials reported that more than 2,000 people, including tourists, were evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes as wildfires continued to rage out of control for five days. Firefighters, with the assistance of reinforcements from Slovakia, have been tirelessly working to contain the blaze, which has been exacerbated by strong winds.

According to reports citing coastguard spokesman Nikos Alexiou, three coastguard vessels along with over 30 private boats participated in the evacuation process from the beaches on the island. Approximately 1,500 of those evacuated from the southeastern areas of Kiotari and Lardos were safely taken to another beach. The evacuated individuals have been accommodated at an indoor stadium and hotels on the island, as stated by Konstantinos Taraslias, a deputy mayor of Rhodes.

Reuters reported that three passenger ferries were arranged to host tourists during the night. Since the fire initially broke out on Tuesday, large parts of the forest have been scorched, posing a significant challenge for firefighters who have been combating the outbreak with the aid of air-water bombers and reinforcements from Slovakia.

The wildfire had a devastating impact on the seaside village of Kiotari, with three hotels reported to be damaged on Saturday. As a precautionary measure, approximately 30 buses were utilized to evacuate tourists from two hotels. Local authorities disclosed that around 30,000 people have been safely taken away from the affected areas through various means.

Konstantinos Taraslias expressed the difficulty of the situation, explaining that despite setting up firebreaks around the village of Laerma, the sudden change in winds fueled the fire, leading it to spread across vast distances and even reaching tourist areas.

During the operations, some firefighters found themselves stranded at the Ypseni Monastery near Lardos, as they were trying to convince the nuns living there to evacuate. However, both the firefighters and their commander were reported to be safe.

Greek fire spokesperson Ioannis Artopoios described the wildfire on Rhodes, which originated on a mountain in the island’s center, as the most challenging they have encountered thus far. The blaze in the Laermon and Lardos areas was reported to be out of control, with five helicopters and 173 firefighters actively working to combat it. The situation is made even more difficult due to a heatwave affecting much of Europe, including Greece, with temperatures expected to reach up to 45 degrees Celsius on Sunday, prompting officials to warn of a very high risk of wildfires on Rhodes and other parts of the country.