High winds forecast for Sunday are expected to hamper firefighters’ battle to contain a blaze burning out of control on the Greek island of Rhodes, sparking the biggest-ever fire evacuation in Greece.
The island of Rhodes is one of Greece’s most popular tourist destinations, particularly with British, German and French tourists – many of whom are now being rapidly moved out of the path of the flames.
Around 30,000 people were moved to safety on the Greek island of Rhodes where a wildfire burned on Saturday.
Tens of millions of people have been suffering through intense heat this summer and the world looks set for its hottest July on record.
As temperature records tumble, experts have pointed to climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels, arguing that global warming is playing a key role in the devastating heat.
On the Mediterranean island of Rhodes, where a wildfire has been blazing for days, boats carried 2,000 people to safety from beaches in the east of the popular tourist island.
Greek fire service spokesman Vassilis Varthakogiannis told Skai TV: “This is not a fire that will be over tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. It’ll be troubling us for days.”
Three coastguard ships led more than 30 private vessels in the evacuation, while a Greek navy boat was heading to the area.
Island officials arranged for dozens of buses to take people to safety, but where fires had cut off road access, others had to walk.
Authorities have opened up gyms, schools and hotel conference centers to serve as makeshift accommodation, while firefighters battle the blaze.
Tour operators Jet2, TUI and Correndon cancelled flights leaving for Rhodes, which lies southeast of mainland Greece and is famous for its beaches and historic sites.
Fires are common in Greece but climate change has led to more extreme heatwaves across southern Europe and many parts of the world.
Temperatures over the past week have exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in many parts of Greece. In addition to Rhodes, emergency services were dealing with fires on the island of Evia, east of Athens and Aigio, southwest of Athens, and on the island of Corfu where authorities ordered the precautionary evacuation of five small settlements.
A fire brigade official said the wildfires on Rhodes have affected 10% of hotels in the central and southeast parts of the island. The north and western parts were not affected.
More then 260 firefighters, backed by 18 aircraft, were battling the fire on Sunday, with Croatia, France, Slovakia and Turkey having contributed equipment and personnel, officials said.
The Greek presidency said it was cancelling a national holiday planned for Monday “in view of the extraordinary conditions prevailing in the country due to the fires.”
Last year Rhodes, which has a population of over 100,000, welcomed some 2.5 million tourist arrivals.
