Smoke turns sky dull and hazy as wildfires continue to rage in Greece
Greek authorities have issued fresh evacuation orders for parts of Corfu as dozens of wildfires erupted on the island after blaze in Rhodes prompted “the biggest evacuation in Greek history”.
Videos on social media show flames engulfing Corfu as smoke and orange haze covered the night skies. The fire broke out on the northern part of the island which is popular with British tourists.
Those in Santa, Megoula, Porta, Palia Perithia and Sinies were told to evacuate to Kasiopi due to fires on Corfu.
The order came after Jet2 and Tui cancelled all flights to Rhodes. The Jet2 planes were scheduled to depart full of tourists bound for the Greek island. But the planes left empty and will instead be used to evacuate holidaymakers fleeing the blaze.
Thousands of tourists were forced to flee their hotels and images captured their dramatic evacuation off of beaches by a fleet of private boats while the fires raged in the background.
Overnight, firefighters were struggling to contain 82 wildfires burning across the country, 64 of which started on Sunday, the hottest day of the summer so far.
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Video shows night sky turning orange as fires burn in Corfu
A video of Corfu wildfires shows a line of wildfire burning in Corfu, turning the night sky orange.
Stuti Mishra24 July 2023 06:53
Live: View of Rhodes airport where tourists are waiting to be evacuated
Stuti Mishra24 July 2023 06:30
Greece continues to swelter at 40C and above temperatures
The weather remained hot in Greece yesterday. A total of 180 locations experienced temperatures of 40C and above.
The highest reading, 46.4C, was reached at the seaside town of Gytheio in southern Greece.
Slight respite is expected on Monday with highs of 38C forecast by the country’s Meteorological Service.
However, Tuesday is expected to heat up once again – before things significantly cool on Thursday, with temperatures expected in the low- to mid-30s.
Stuti Mishra24 July 2023 06:15
Dozens more fires erupt in Greece
Firefighters struggled through the night to contain 82 wildfires across Greece, 64 of which started yesterday, the hottest day of the summer so far.
Their efforts were without the help of firefighting planes and helicopters, which do not operate at night.
The most serious fire was on the island of Rhodes. Some 19,000 people had been evacuated from several locations on the island earlier in the what was called “the largest evacuation from wildfires in the country”.
Stuti Mishra24 July 2023 06:00
First repatriation flights to arrive in Rhodes to rescue British holidaymakers
The first repatriation flights are due to arrive on fire-ravaged Rhodes to rescue British holidaymakers stuck in a “living nightmare”.
Airline easyJet will operate two rescue flights totalling 421 seats today and a third tomorrow, in addition to its nine scheduled flights to the Greek island.
It comes after authorities began evacuating large swathes of the island of Corfu, which is also popular with British holidaymakers after fires spread there on Sunday.
Stuti Mishra24 July 2023 05:34
Hundreds of EU fire fighters are supporting the Greek effort
There are substantial reinforcements from the European Union supporting Greece’s fire-fighting efforts, including hundreds of firefighters.
“Over 450 firefighters and seven airplanes from the EU have been operating in Greece as fires sprout across the country,” EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic tweeted early Sunday afternoon.
Overnight, firefighters are continuing to tackle 82 wildfires currently raging across the country.
Smoke rises from a wildfire on the island of Rhodes on Sunday
(TED G. BAILOS via REUTERS)
Nick Ferris24 July 2023 03:20
Several injuries reported on Rhodes on Sunday
Several injuries have been reported among those fleeing the forest fire on Rhodes on Sunday.
Six people were briefly treated at a hospital for respiratory problems, but have since been released.
Meanwhile, a person who fell and broke a leg during a hotel evacuation and a pregnant woman remained hospitalized, the latter in good condition, authorities said.
A man carries a child as they leave an area where a forest fire burns on the island of Rhodes
(AP)
Nick Ferris24 July 2023 02:40
ICYMI: Tourists describe scenes in Rhodes as “hell on earth”
A British tourist has described the scenes in Rhodes as “hell on earth” as wildfires continued to tear through the Greek holiday destination for a sixth consecutive day on Sunday.
Becky Mulligan, a 29-year-old training manager from Leicester, was staying at the Princess Sun Hotel in the Kiotari resort on Rhodes’s southeast coast when she, her daughter, 5 and sister, 20 say they were forced to flee.
“Smoke started coming up against the window of the hotel so we decided to run,” she told The Independent. “There were helicopters hovering above making the whole building shake.
“We ended up legging it down a dirt track as the smoke came up around our legs. I thought I was going to die. It was like hell on earth”.
Clouds of smoke from a forest fire rise to the sky on the island of Rhodes
(AP)
Nick Ferris24 July 2023 02:00
Slight temperature respite expected on Monday in Greece
The weather remained hot in Greece on Sunday, with a total of 180 locations experiencing temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) and above.
A relative respite from the heat is expected on Monday, with highs of 38 C (100 F) forecast, said the country’s Meteorological Service on Sunday evening.
Tuesday is expected to heat up once again – before things signficantly cool on Thursday, with temperatures expected in the low- to mid-30s Celsius.
Children play in a fountain in Athens during hot weather over the weekend
(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Nick Ferris24 July 2023 01:20
Efforts to tackle 82 fires impacted by lack of helicopters at night
Firefighters are struggling through Sunday night to contain 82 wildfires across Greece, reports AP.
But ongoing efforts are without the help of firefighting planes and helicopters, which do not operate at night.
The most serious fire in Greece remains on the island of Rhodes, where some 19,000 people have now been evacuated.
Local police said 16,000 people were evacuated by land and 3,000 by sea from 12 villages and several hotels.
A firefighting helicopter flies over a beach during a forest fire on the island of Rhodes
(AP)
Nick Ferris24 July 2023 00:41