RHODES, Greece—Thousands of tourists and locals escaping wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes sought safety in schools and shelters on Sunday, with many being evacuated on private boats as flames threatened resorts and coastal communities.
Thousands of people spent the night on beaches and streets in what Greece described as the country's largest safe transfer of citizens and visitors under emergency conditions.
Overnight, 19,000 people were evacuated from their homes and hotels as fires that had been raging since Wednesday accelerated, ripping through woods and reaching seaside resorts on the island's south-eastern coast.
Some tourists claimed to have trekked for kilometres in the sweltering heat to seek safety. The flames had turned the trees black and skeletal. Near burnt-out automobiles, dead animals were in the road.
Rhodes is a popular holiday resort, particularly among British travelers.
Jet2, TUI, and Correndon all canceled flights to Rhodes, which is located southeast of mainland Greece and is known for its beaches and ancient monuments.
“The smoke was coming. So we all set off on foot. I walked 12 miles (19 kilometers) in this heat yesterday. It took me four hours,” said British tourist Chris Freestone.
He talked from a sports hall beside evacuees laying on mattresses in Rhodes Town, the island's main metropolis that was unharmed by the flames farther south.
TUI said its employees were doing everything possible to assist customers and had dispatched more personnel in what it described as a "difficult and evolving situation."
Fay Mortimer, a holidaymaker from Cheshire in northern England, described the event as horrifying.
“I’ve never been so scared in my entire life,” she said.
According to the Greek transport ministry, TUI and Jet2, which handle the majority of tourism to Rhodes, planned 14 scheduled flights from Rhodes airport, carrying around 2,700 passengers till 3:00 a.m. 2400 GMT (local time).
In addition to Rhodes, emergency services were dealing with flames on the islands of Evia, east of Athens, and Aigio, southwest of Athens, as well as on the island of Corfu, where officials ordered the evacuation of a number of minor towns as a precaution.
The fire in Corfu, an island off the coast of Greece, was spreading quickly. A government official reported that boats in the region had been despatched to evacuate inhabitants by sea.
According to a fire department spokesman, the flames on Rhodes have impacted 10% of the island's hotels in the center and southeast regions. The areas to the north and west were unaffected. According to the government official who talked about Corfu, the flames in Rhodes were mostly put out.
On Saturday, more than 3,000 visitors were evacuated off beaches by coastguard vessels and private boats. When massive flames reached the beach communities of Kiotari, Gennadi, Pefki, Lindos, Lardos, and Kalathos, many people left hotels. Crowds gathered in the streets against a crimson sky, while smoke billowed over abandoned shorelines.
visitors' social media posts showed locals driving visitors to safety in their own automobiles or loading tourists onto trucks and pick-up trucks.
A fire scorched the hillside and houses at Lindos, famous for its acropolis on a large rock surrounded by medieval walls.
Thanasis Virinis, Rhodes' vice mayor, told Mega television on Sunday that between 4,000 and 5,000 people were in temporary shelters.
Authorities claimed evacuees were transferred to conference centers and school facilities where they were provided food, drink, and medical help.
