More than 1,000 people forced to flee wildfires on Greek island of Rhodes

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More than 1,000 people were forced to flee homes and hotels on Rhodes after an uncontrolled wildfire swept across the Greek island on Saturday.

The fire had been burning for most of the past week but had been confined to the island’s mountainous interior until strong winds, high temperatures and dry conditions swept the blaze towards the coast on the island’s central-eastern side.

Coastguard vessels and more than 20 private boats were taking part in an emergency evacuation of those stranded on beaches close to the areas of Kiotari and Lardos, a coastguard official said.

One British woman told the BBC she had to be evacuated from her hotel with her sister and daughter, but was now stuck on a beach with hundreds of others in the severe heat.

The fire service said that more than 200 firefighters and 40 fire engines were tackling the blaze, assisted by five planes and three helicopters, as well as firefighters from Slovakia who were drafted in to help.

Greek navy vessels were also reported to be heading to the area while the country’s deputy fire chief said the fires on Rhodes were the most difficult his service was facing.

Meteorologists said there would be a brief respite from the heatwave on Monday but it would resume on Tuesday with the current sweltering temperatures likely to last until the end of the month.

The entire eastern part of the Greek mainland – as well as the islands of Evia and Rhodes – has been designated as a category 5 risk, the highest for fire outbreaks. A further large portion of the country has been designated category 4.

“The situation in Rhodes is … extremely difficult. Due to the strong wind and quickly changing direction of the fire, firefighters had to withdraw and move,” Slovak Fire and Rescue Services posted on Facebook.