Thousands of tourists evacuated in Rhodes as huge fire front expands

A massive wildfire on the southeastern coast of the Greek island of Rhodes has led to the evacuation of thousands of tourists from three hotels, which were later damaged by the flames.

The fire, which started on Tuesday morning, continued to spread rapidly due to strong winds and extreme temperatures. Residents in several villages were also urged to evacuate to safer areas. Altogether, about 30,000 people are trying to be evacuated, reports AFP.

Firefighters, water bombers, and other emergency personnel were working to contain the blaze, but the challenging conditions made the operation difficult. Additionally, planned power outages by the local power utility left a large part of the island without electricity.

The situation has raised concerns about “fire tourism” in the region.

TUI Nordic has decided to evacuate around 80 Swedish guests near the popular tourist town of Lindos to other parts of the island. And Ving has sent out an SMS about evacuation to 55 Swedish guests. TUI plans to rebook the hotel stay for those who have booked trips to the fire-affected area.

Several Belgian tourists had to leave their resort hastily. According to TUI Belgium, there are around seventy of them in the vicinity of Kiotari. According to TUI spokesman Piet Demeyere, the Belgians concerned have been taken care of by the local authorities, although uncertainty hangs over the sequence of events. “At the moment the hotels are not in great danger. This is a precautionary measure.” In the event that TUI travellers cannot return to their rooms, the agency will contact them to find an alternative or to reserve a seat for them on a plane to Belgium.

TUIfly Belgium organises daily flights from Brussels to Rhodes. Five vacationers whose stay is planned from Sunday in the problematic region were offered the option of going to another part of Rhodes or modifying their journey free of charge.