More than 2 people were rescued from beaches Saturday due to fires in Greece, as flames threatened hotels and tourist areas, officials said. French citizens among those forced to flee their homes and hotels on the Greek island of Rhodes.
The fires had been underway for most of last week, but were confined to the island's mountainous interior until high winds, high temperatures and dry conditions pushed the flames toward the coast on the east-central side of the island.
Officials said the operation was hampered by fires blocking some roads. “The goal is to protect human life,” a spokesperson said.
People were taken to gyms, schools and conference centers on the island, while firefighters battled the blaze. Three passenger ferries were docked at the port of Rhodes to accommodate evacuees. Coast Guard boats and more 20 active fishing boats Private individuals were participating in an emergency evacuation of people stranded on the beaches near Kiotari and Lardos Saturday evening, a coast guard official said.
A British woman has told how she had to be evacuated from her hotel with her sister and daughter, but was now stuck on a beach with hundreds of other people in the intense heat.
The fire department said more than 200 firefighters et 40 trucks firefighters were battling the fire, assisted by five planes and three helicopters, as well as firefighters from Slovakia called in as reinforcements.
High winds and a fire front stretching six miles from the island's center to its eastern beaches were creating extreme conditions, Vassilis Varthakogiannis, a fire department spokesperson, told a news conference. local television channel.
“It’s a fire that won’t go out tomorrow or the day after tomorrow,” he said. “He will cause us problems for several days. »
Around 1 200 Other people had to be evacuated from the villages of Pefki, Lindos and Kalathos, he added.
Fires in Greece: The fourth consecutive day of carnage on the island of Rhodes
À Athens, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had activated its crisis management unit to facilitate the evacuation of foreign citizens in Greece due to ongoing forest fires.
Tui, the travel company, said a small number of its hotels had been affected and it was moving customers to alternative accommodation as a precaution. Jet2 has asked its customers to follow local guidelines.
Meteorologists have warned that this July weekend could be the hottest in the world Greece for 50 years, with temperatures reaching 45°C.
