Rhodes

A week-old wildfire on the Greek resort island of Rhodes tore past defenses Monday, forcing more evacuations as strong winds and successive heat waves that left scrubland and forests tinder-dry fueled three major fires raging elsewhere in Greece.

Firefighters battled all night to control persistent wildfires on the islands of Rhodes, Evia and Corfu, as well as in Achaia in the Peloponnese, as strong winds, soaring temperatures and tinder-dry conditions continued to stoke the flames into Tuesday morning, when water-dumping aircraft joined efforts on the ground.

The political leadership of the Ministry of Tourism was engaged in a race to deal with the crisis in the tourism industry on Monday, following the massive fire on the island of Rhodes.

Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni, as well as her deputy, Elena Rapti, arrived on the island on Sunday, in order to help manage the situation.

Rhodes' iconic fallow deer - statues of which stand as emblems at the entrance to the southeastern Aegean island's Mandraki Harbor - are being decimated by the raging wildfire tearing through forests, hillside villages and seaside resorts.

Since the resurgence on Saturday of the wildfires on the island of Rhodes forced the evacuation of thousands of tourists, the hashtag #Rhodes has been trending in the United Kingdom.

Three separate fire fronts were still burning in the island of Rhodes late afternoon Monday, as firefighters tried to fight strong winds and put out rekindlings in several locations for a seventh consecutive day, said the Fire Brigade.

Wildfires burned across Greece on Monday, forcing people to be evacuated from a beach on the island of Corfu while tourists crowded an airport on Rhodes after thousands fled hotels and resorts at the weekend.

Fires burning since Wednesday on Rhodes forced the evacuation of 19,000 people over the weekend as an inferno reached coastal resorts on the island's southeastern coast.

Thousands of tourists and residents fleeing wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes took refuge in schools and shelters on Sunday, with many evacuated on private boats as flames threatened resorts and coastal villages.

Thousands spent the night on beaches and streets during what Greece said was its biggest safe transport of residents and tourists in emergency conditions.

Tourists wait for departing planes at the airport, after being evacuated following a wildfire on the island of Rhodes, Greece, on July 23, 2023. [Fedja Grulovic/Reuters]

An "immeasurable environmental disaster" is taking place in the last six days on the island of Rhodes, center-left PASOK-KINAL leader Nikos Androulakis said in on Sunday.