Greece
Forest fires now also on Corfu – still no all-clear on Rhodes
A massive forest fire is raging on the Greek island of Rhodes. photo
© Argiris Mantikos/XinHua/dpa
On Rhodes, the fires continue to rage, the strong winds continue. Thousands of tourists held out on the streets and in other makeshift shelters. Now it is also burning on other islands.
Not only on the islands of Rhodes and Corfu, but also in numerous other regions Large fires broke out in Greece after a long drought. On Corfu, the evacuation of the popular resort of Nisaki began at night. Coast Guard boats brought around 1,000 vacationers and residents to safety, as reported by state television.
Large fires were also reported in the morning on the island of Evia, near Karystos, and on the Peloponnese peninsula near the small port town of Egion. There, too, numerous villages were evacuated. No one has been injured so far, the emergency services said.
A major fire is raging on Rhodes for the seventh day in a row. Around 20,000 people from the southeast of the island were brought to safety there on Saturday during one of the largest evacuation operations in the history of Greece. In all cases, firefighting planes and helicopters were used at first light in the morning to contain the fires, according to civil defense.
Greece: Thousands of tourists on Rhodes brought to safety, forest fires on Corfu
Thousands of tourists who had to leave their hotels around the popular holiday town of Lindos on Saturday because of the heavy smoke and the ever approaching flames spent the second night in sports halls and schools. Many waited at the airport for the next opportunity to depart.
However, despite the fires, more tourists arrived on Sunday with charter and scheduled flights, reporters reported. Around 90 per cent of Rhodes’ hotels were unharmed by the fires, according to local authority officials – but most of them are fully booked given the peak season. The authorities spoke of almost 20,000 evacuees, including locals.
Meanwhile, new questions are emerging related to the evacuation of hotels in the south-east of the island. Many tourists had left their suitcases and other items, including identity papers, in their rooms. Christos Pilatakis, a hotel manager from the city of Lindos, told the DPA this has to be settled between the travel agencies and the hotels. First, the fire brigade and police would have to allow the staff to return. After that, the things left behind should be sent to the respective countries of the guests. This will take a few days.
The fire brigade warned again: The risk of forest fires will remain very strong in the south-east of the island on Monday and Tuesday. The reason is an increase in the wind. However, a first hope is in sight: Next Thursday, the heat wave that has been going on in Greece for practically two weeks should come to an end for the time being. According to the forecast, the thermometers should then reach normal temperatures of around 35 degrees for the season – instead of 40 degrees and more now.