“Everything destroyed” – fires are raging: the tourist season has probably already ended

The fire “hit the heart of Rhodes and its surroundings,” natural disaster expert Efthymios Lekkas told ERT television on Monday. He warned of a serious impact on the island’s tourism industry. “I just drove from Lindos to Gennadi,” he said. “All the major hotels are closed. I don’t think they will reopen this year as the area is devastated and not exactly conducive to holidays.”

Fighting flames, mass evacuations
For the seventh day in a row, a great fire raged on Rhodes. 30,000 tourists and locals had to flee the flames over the weekend, 19,000 of whom were taken to safety by bus and ship. Police spokeswoman Konstantia Dimoglidou spoke of the “biggest fire evacuation” ever seen in Greece. Among them were many Austrians, such as the Pfeil-Ehrengruber family, who described their experiences to the “Krone”.

Already in the early morning, two helicopters and two firefighting planes resumed work to support the more than 260 firefighters on site. Persistent heat and high winds made extinguishing the fire even more difficult. Much of the Mediterranean island was also without power as public utility PPC shut down its local power plant in the south for safety reasons.

Guests stay partial, no travel warning
The travel organization TUI does not want to bring holidaymakers to the island until Tuesday. A few hundred TUI guests from Austria were evacuated to Rhodes this weekend. “Yesterday we contacted and reached everyone by phone and in some cases we have contacted them several times. The guests are safe and sound. Many want to stay on the island,” said a spokeswoman. “For those who want to leave earlier, we make it possible with the existing flight connections. There are currently no return flights planned,” the spokeswoman continued. Guests flying to Rhodes in the next few days are advised to rebook for free.

The AUA pointed out that there is currently no official travel warning. “Regular flight operations to and from Rhodes can currently continue. The next Austrian Airlines flight to and from Rhodes is scheduled for Tuesday 25 July. The situation is continuously monitored and there is constant communication with the authorities.

No Austrians in the direct fire area
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, more than 100 Austrians have been evacuated from the acute fire areas in Rhodes. As of Monday afternoon, the authorities were not yet aware of compatriots who were directly in the fire area. The team in Rhodes has already been strengthened to provide the best possible support to the affected Austrians.

Cooling but danger from wind
For the first time in almost two weeks, the meteorologists announced a cooling from Thursday. Temperatures are expected to drop from 40 to 45 degrees to around 35, which is normal for the time of year. On Sunday, 46.4 degrees was measured in the south of the Peloponnese peninsula. According to the Meteorological Bureau, this is the fourth highest temperature ever recorded in Greece. Before it cools down, another warm day with up to 46 degrees will follow on Wednesday, weather experts say. The cooling will be the result of a strong north wind. Civil protection warned again: this strong wind could cause forest fires to get out of hand again.

Evacuations are underway everywhere
The fire is not only raging on the islands of Rhodes, but large fires have also broken out on Corfu and in many other regions after a long drought. More than 2,400 people were evacuated in Corfu on Monday night because of forest fires. No homes or hotels have been destroyed so far, it said. Most tourists spent the night in a theater of Corfu Town. The danger has now passed and people should gradually return to their hotels, the local state radio station reported on Monday. More than 60 firefighters, two helicopters and two firefighting planes are on duty on Corfu on Monday, according to the fire service.

Probably the longest heat wave in Greece’s history
Large fires were also reported on Monday on the island of Euboea, near Karystos, and on the Peloponnese peninsula near the small port town of Egion. Numerous villages were evacuated. No one has been injured so far, according to emergency services. In all cases, firefighting planes and helicopters were deployed at first light Monday morning to contain the fires, civil defense said. Authorities estimate it could take days to bring the fires under control.

Greece is currently experiencing an extreme heat wave. According to the National Weather Observatory, it is “probably the longest in its history”.