Greece fires – live: Red alert for Crete as British tourists in ‘living nightmare’ on Rhodes and Corfu

Crete is at “extreme risk” of raging wildfires as local authorities warn the island is next in line to be ravaged by blazes spreading across Greece.

It comes as up to 10,000 British tourists are feared to be on the fire-scorched Greek island of Rhodes, a minister has warned. A holidaymaker who arrived to find their hotel had burnt down described the situation as a “living nightmare”.

Around 2,500 people have already been evacuated from Corfu, fire officials said, which is experiencing dozens of wildfires, after the blaze in Rhodes prompted “the biggest evacuation” in Greek history.

Footage showed 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.

The evacuation order came after Jet2 and Tui cancelled all flights to Rhodes until Friday 28 July.

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.

Key Points

• ‘Extreme fire risk’ for Crete and Rhodes on Tuesday

• Up to 10,000 British tourists on Rhodes due to ‘peak holiday season'

• Around 2,500 people evacuated from Corfu

• Chilling satellite image shows scale of wildfires in Rhodes

• Weather forecast for Greece as wildfires rage and second heatwave hits

Palermo airport closed and two killed in north as fires and storms batter Italy

09:10 , Tara Cobham

Wildfires forced the closure of Palermo airport in Sicily on Tuesday as extreme weather continued to batter Italy, with severe storms causing damage and at least two deaths in the north of the country.

The airport in the Sicilian capital would remain shut until 9am (GMT), its operator said on Twitter, as firefighters were working to put out a major blaze in a nearby area that also disrupted local road and rail traffic.

In some parts of eastern Sicily, temperatures rose to 47.6 Celsius (117.7 Fahrenheit) on Monday, close to a record European high of 48.8 Celsius recorded on the island two years ago.

On Tuesday, Italy put 16 cities on red alert because of the high temperatures. These include Palermo and Catania, where power and water supply cuts that local officials blamed in part on the heat have been frequent in recent days. Meanwhile, an overnight storm in Milan tore off roofs and uprooted trees, blocking roads and disrupting overground transportation in Italy's financial capital.

Two women were killed on Monday and Tuesday in the northern Monza and Brescia provinces after being crushed by falling trees.

Watch: Man dies in Switzerland after building crane falls in storm

09:00 , Tara Cobham

A man has died and 15 others are injured after a violent storm hit the town of La-Chaux-de-Fonds in northwestern Switzerland.

Rain, hail and winds of up to 135 kilometres per hour were recorded on Monday evening, Swiss public broadcaster SRF said on Tuesday. This caused damage to structures, trees and vehicles.

The storm "unfortunately caused the death of a person in their fifties following the fall of a building crane", Neuchâtel local police said in a press release.

Man dies in Switzerland after building crane falls in violent storm

Watch: Passenger recounts time in Rhode after Greece wildfires

08:40 , Tara Cobham

A passenger recalled his evacuation from Rhodes after arriving back at Gatwick Airport.

Up to 10,000 Britons are estimated to be on the fire-ravaged Greek island, with repatriation flights to rescue holidaymakers landing back in the UK.

Dominic Doggett explained how he “stayed on the office floor” of a hotel, before driving through the night to find other accommodation.

“It was a very unique situation, but luckily we had a hire car there so we were able to drive away,” he explained.

Passenger recounts time in Rhodes as hundreds return to UK after Greece wildfires

Human-induced climate crisis responsible for killer heatwaves, scientists say

08:20 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Human-induced climate change is responsible for the historic heatwaves sweeping the planet from China to the United States, scientists have found.

The research conducted by World Weather Attribution (WWA), which was released on Tuesday, says the record-shattering heat in Europe and the US would have been almost “impossible” in a world without global heating.

The researchers, who analysed records in all three continents, said the likelihood of extreme heat in China, which recently recorded its highest-ever temperature at 52.2C, is now 50 times more likely due to the climate crisis.

Stuti Mishra reports.

Human-induced climate crisis responsible for killer heatwaves sweeping planet

Tens of thousands of Britons face cancelled summer holidays

08:08 , Tara Cobham

Tens of thousands of Britons face having their holidays cancelled this summer as hotels in fire-ravaged Rhodes could be closed for at least the next couple of weeks, it has been reported.

Around 30,000 tourists have been left in limbo as tour operators are planning for possible further cancellations, according to The Times.

Greece battled to contain wildfires on the island of Rhodes for a seventh day on Tuesday, as hundreds of tourists who had been forced to evacuate in previous days were expected to fly back to their countries.

Some 20,000 people had to leave homes and hotels in Rhodes over the weekend as the inferno that began a week ago spread and reached coastal resorts on the verdant island's southeast, after charring swathes of land and damaging buildings.

More than 2,000 holidaymakers returned home by plane on Monday, and more repatriation flights were expected on Tuesday. Tour operators also cancelled upcoming trips.

Satellite images show how wildfires spread to engulf large parts of Greek islands

08:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

More evacuations were ordered as the week-long wildfire on the Greek resort island of Rhodes tore past defences due to strong winds, leaving local residents in scrambles.

Satellite images revealed the extent of devastation caused by the wildfire which has charred the central part of the island, burning down homes, cars and livestock.

Images from 20 July show smoke billowing from only a small part of the island, whereas the satellite pictures taken just three days later reveal a massive portion of scorched land in the central part of the island.

More here.

Satellite images show how wildfires spread to engulf Greek islands

Ryanair operating ‘full schedule’ to Greece

07:40 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Ryanair is operating a “full schedule” to wildfire-hit Greece, including the battered island of Rhodes, as evacuation flights continue to bring back Britons.

“Airports remain open so we’re continuing to fly in there,” Neil Sorahan, the carrier’s chief financial officer told Sky News.

“We’ve got a number of customers who are keen to come home, some people still want to do down there so we’ll continue to fly in and out and as long as it’s safe to do so and as long as the airports remain open, we’ll be there.”

Other airlines such as Jet2, TUI UK and Correndon have cancelled flights to Rhodes at least till Friday 28 July.

Watch: Palermo airport shut due to raging wildfire

07:24 , Tara Cobham

Passenger recounts time in Rhodes as hundreds back in UK

07:20 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Palermo airport shut due to wildfire

06:40 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The Palermo international airport was shut down overnight after a raging wildfire entered its perimeter. Temperatures in Palermo rose to a record 47C on Monday.

Wildfires spread through Sicily due to dry weather as Europe battles a severe heatwave this summer.

Firefighters on Monday deployed helicopters and a Canadair firefighting plane to dump water in parts of Sicily to bring the blaze under control.

Where are the fires in Corfu and Rhodes?

06:20 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Thousands of people have been evacuated from towns and villages across Greece after wildfires ravaged the country.

Videos of roaring fires and towering black smoke have circulated online from Rhodes and Corfu. However, wildfires have erupted across several areas including Evia and the Peloponnese region.

Maps show areas in Rhodes affected by raging wildfires:

Where are the fires in Corfu and Rhodes? Map reveals Greece wildfires

Wildfires kill 25 in Algeria

06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Multiple wildfires in Algeria have killed at least 25 people, including 10 soldiers trying to bring the flames under control.

At least 1,500 people were evacuated as the wildfires moved across forests and agricultural areas in 16 regions of the north African country, the interior ministry said.

The largest and deadliest fires ravaged parts of Bejaia and Jijel in the Kabyle region east of Algiers and Bouire, located nearly 100km southeast of Algiers.

More here.

Wildfires across Algeria have killed 25 people, including 10 soldiers who were battling the flames

Watch: Greece wildfires seen from International Space Station

05:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

‘We saw flames coming over the hills,’ says British tourist

05:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Ian Murison, a businessman from London on vacation in southern Rhodes with his wife and 12-year-old son, described his family’s ordeal as they tried to escape the fires.“We saw flames coming over the hills,” he told the Associated Press.

“Our hotel had capacity for 1,200 (people), but there was just one coach waiting. We all just took our cases and started walking. It was about 3km before we got out from underneath the ash cloud.”

The family reached a nearby beach, where they waited — in the dark due to a power blackout — with thousands of others to be evacuated by bus or boat.

“You could see an orange glow in the sky and it got more and more, big balls of fire going into the sky,” Mr Murison said, describing chaotic scenes as evacuees crowded to board small boats arriving to take them away.

“It didn’t matter if you had children, adults were fighting to get on next,” he said. “It was very, very stressful.”

Satellite images show spread of wildfire in Rhodes island between 20 and 23 July

04:25 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Watch: Rhodes tourists awaiting evacuation sleep on airport floor

04:00 , Martha Mchardy

‘We are at war’, Greek PM tells MPs

03:52 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis yesterday announced “we are at war” and “completely focused on the fires” as wildfires continue to burn down parts of Rhodes, forcing more evacuations from the resort island.

“Over the coming days and weeks, we must remain on constant alert,” the prime minister said during a debate in parliament.

“The climate crisis is already here.”

Latest pictures show shocking extent of damage caused by wildfires in Rhodes

03:00 , Martha Mchardy

‘Trauma’ for couple on honeymoon who fled Rhodes fires amid screams and smoke

02:00 , Martha Mchardy

A newly-wed couple celebrating their honeymoon on Rhodes have spoken of their “traumatic” experience of being evacuated from their hotel amid “intense” smoke and the sound of a child screaming: “I don’t want to die”.

Claire and Paul Jones, both 36 from Leicestershire, were celebrating their honeymoon on Rhodes after getting married on July 16.

They travelled to the Greek island two days later on July 18, before the wildfires took hold.

Ms Jones recalled hearing about the fires on Thursday and said by Friday evening, when she and her husband were sitting outside having drinks, it “got really smoky at one point” and there was “ash dropping out of the sky”.

Hannah Cottrell reports:

‘Trauma’ for couple on honeymoon who fled Rhodes fires amid screams and smoke

Repatriation flights return British holidaymakers from Rhodes after wildfires

01:00 , Martha Mchardy

Hundreds of holidaymakers have landed back in the UK following wildfires on Rhodes, with more repatriation flights set to take place.

As many as 10,000 Britons are estimated to be on the popular Greek island, part of which has been ravaged by the blazes, forcing many to sleep in schools, airports and sports centres.

Rishi Sunak has urged people to remain in touch with tour operators, some of which have begun sending repatriation flights to bring people back to the UK.

Tui confirmed that holidaymakers returned on “three dedicated flights” overnight, with plans to bring more back “as soon as possible” in place.

Ted Hennessey reports:

Repatriation flights return British holidaymakers from Rhodes after wildfires

Is it safe to travel to Greece right now?

Tuesday 25 July 2023 00:00 , Martha Mchardy

UK airlines are continuing to sell flights for immediate departure from the UK to Rhodes despite the wildfires that have seen thousands of tourists evacuated from the island.

The UK’s two biggest tour operators, Jet2 and Tui, have cancelled all flights and holidays to Rhodes for several days ahead. They are and offering refunds because of the fires, which have been raging on the Greek island for six days.

But other airlines are continuing to offer seats on flights to Rhodes, and the travel firm Thomas Cook says most of its customers booked to travel on Sunday and Monday are travelling as normal.

From London Gatwick, easyJet has five flights to Rhodes on sale on Tuesday. But for those who no longer wish to travel, the airline is allowing free changes for passengers booked up to 29 July.

Three easyJet aircraft are also flying out empty to pick up UK holidaymakers wanting to come home early.

Simon Calder reports:

Greece wildfires: Is it safe to travel to Corfu, Zante and Rhodes right now?

How travel firms are helping British holidaymakers in Rhodes

Monday 24 July 2023 23:00 , Martha Mchardy

Flights rescuing British holidaymakers in Rhodes have begun arriving in the UK, as wildfires ravage parts of the Greek island.

People have complained about a lack of information from travel companies on how the incident will affect them.

How have different firms responded to the emergency?

Ted Hennessey reports:

How travel firms are helping British holidaymakers in Rhodes

Tourists should see the Greek wildfires as a ‘big, big warning,’ says leading climate scientist

Monday 24 July 2023 22:00 , Martha Mchardy

Sir David King, one of the UK’s leading climate scientists, said tourists should see the Greek wildfires as a “big, big warning”.

He told PA: “If you are in one of these very warm areas and you haven’t got air conditioning indoors you could suffer terribly - many people will die from heat stress.”

UK rescue flights for tourists fleeing ‘out of control’ wildfires in Rhodes and Corfu

Monday 24 July 2023 21:30 , Martha Mchardy

UK airlines are scrambling evacuation flights to the wildfire-ravage islands of Rhodes and Corfu where up to 10,000 British tourists are stranded in a “living nightmare” as a fresh red alert is issued for Crete.

The two biggest holiday firms Tui and Jet2 have axed all flights to the island in the coming days after holidaymakers forced to flee their hotels had to sleep on floors in schools, airports and sports centres – but other firms, including Ryanair, Thomas Cook and easyJet continue to fly tourists who want to travel to Rhodes.

The popular destination of Crete was also placed under an “extreme” fire warning on Monday, with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis telling parliament it must “be on constant alert” in the weeks ahead. He declared his country to be “at war” with the blazes and warned of three more “difficult days” before the extreme heat eases.

Simon Calder and Andy Gregory report:

UK rescue flights for tourists fleeing ‘out of control’ wildfires on Rhodes and Corfu

British tourists forced to sleep in schools overnight as wildfires continue

Monday 24 July 2023 21:00 , Martha Mchardy

A family from Dorset were forced to sleep at a primary school on Rhodes after ash began falling on the outdoor furniture at the villa where they were staying.

Martin, 55, Victoria, 51, and Hayden Bowrey, 19, left the villa in Lindos after getting an alert on their phones.

At Gatwick Airport Martin Bowrey said: “We had ash falling onto our furniture outside our pool and after a few hours the smoke was getting thicker and thicker. We couldn’t see flames at that stage.”

After the evacuation order the family drove around 40 minutes to the primary school.

Mr Bowrey added: “Some people were sleeping in school rooms. It was hot so I said to our family ‘we’ll go out to the courtyard’.

“There were loads of people just laid out on the floor so we found a few slabs each and settled down as best we could.”

The family later returned to the villa when an alert told them the area had become safe again.

Transport secretary gives update

Monday 24 July 2023 20:49 , Martha Mchardy

Transport secretary Mark Harper has spoken with airline companies and said he welcomes the additional flights they’ve scheduled to repatriate holidaymakers from Rhodes.

He tweeted on Monday: “This evening I spoke to British-Airways, TUIUK, jet2tweets, Ryanair and easyJet, to discuss their response to the Rhodes fires.

“I welcome the additional flights they’re putting on to help bring British travellers home safely.”

Travel Association ABTA issues update

Monday 24 July 2023 20:35 , Martha Mchardy

An ABTA spokesperson said: “ABTA is continuing to work with members to support customers affected by the wildfires in Rhodes.

“We understand that some of the resorts have had their evacuation order removed by the Greek authorities and people have been advised that they can return to the resorts of Lindos and Pefkos.

“Travel companies will be liaising with their accommodation providers to ensure that they are ready to receive customers and customers will be notified accordingly. More information is available at www.abta.com/rhodeswildfires.”

Family £10,000 out of pocket after Rhodes holiday ruined by wildfires

Monday 24 July 2023 20:20 , Martha Mchardy

A father of two has been left £10,000 out of pocket after his family holiday to Greece was ruined by wildfires.

Chris Elworthy, 42, a farmer from Faversham in Kent, was supposed to fly with easyJet to Rhodes on Saturday with his wife Emma, 43, and children, Thomas, 13, and Charlotte, 11, to reach a private villa in Pefkos – but both bookings were cancelled.

The former Royal Engineers officer said easyJet is not “helping at all” with a voucher or another flight and the villa is refusing to provide a refund.

Jamel Smith reports:

Family £10,000 out of pocket after Rhodes holiday ruined by wildfires

Watch live: Smoke billows over buildings as wildfires rage on the Greek island of Rhodes

Monday 24 July 2023 19:50 , Martha Mchardy

Watch live as wildfires run rampant through the Greek tourist hotspot of Rhodes, in what is reported to be “the biggest evacuation” in Greek history.

The evacuation order in Rhodes came after Jet2 and Tui cancelled all flights to Rhodes until Friday 28 July.

Around 10,000 British tourists are feared to be on the fire-scorched island, a minister has warned, as one holidaymaker who arrived to find their hotel had burnt down described the situation as a “living nightmare”.

Smoke billows as wildfires rage on the Greek island of Rhodes

Watch as Greece wildfires seen from International Space Station

Monday 24 July 2023 19:20 , Martha Mchardy

One coach arrived for hotel of 1,200 people, says tourst

Monday 24 July 2023 18:50 , Martha Mchardy

Ian Murison, a businessman from London who was on holiday with his wife and 12-year-old son in southern Rhodes, described his family’s ordeal as they tried to escape the fires on Saturday.

“We saw flames coming over the hills. Our hotel had capacity for 1,200 (people), but there was just one coach waiting,” he said.

“There was no process in place. ... We all just took our cases and started walking, it was about three kilometres (nearly two miles) before we got out from underneath the ash cloud.”

The family reached a nearby beach, where they waited - in the dark due to a power blackout - with thousands of others to be evacuated by bus or boat.

“You could see an orange glow in the sky and it got more and more, big balls of fire going into the sky,” Mr Murison said, describing chaotic scenes as evacuees crowded to board small boats arriving to take them off the beach.

“It didn’t matter if you had children, adults were fighting to get on next,” he said.

“It was very, very stressful.”

‘Miserable, worst week ever'

Monday 24 July 2023 18:21 , Martha Mchardy

Mark Payton, from Bristol, was critical of his tour operator and said his family had only managed to get back to the UK after taking a ferry from Rhodes to Kos and then finding a flight to Bristol.

“Tui were doing nothing for us at all - no offer of accommodation, no offer of flights or anything like that,” Mr Payton said at Bristol Airport.

“We took it upon ourselves to get ourselves home. We took a ferry from Rhodes over to Kos and found an easyJet flight from Kos back home.

“At 2am we were watching the red glow of fire coming over the mountains, but it was just not what we wanted from the holiday.

“The holiday operators... we’ve just come off the plane and my son was sat next to a couple and they flew out on the Saturday and as they landed they were told their hotel was already burnt down. I just don’t understand why they were even put on the flight to go.

“It is just devastation over there. You plan for these holidays, and it just feels like a real rubbish long weekend away.”

Another man, who was returning to the UK with his young family from Rhodes, added: “Miserable, worst week ever.”

Netherlands warns of travel risks for three Greek islands

Monday 24 July 2023 18:00 , Martha Mchardy

The Dutch foreign affairs ministry warned of travel risks for the Greek islands of Rhodes, Corfu and Evia, moving the travel advisory colour code to yellow from green because of forest fires.

Climate change making wildfires in Mediterranean ‘larger, faster and harder to stop,’ says expert

Monday 24 July 2023 17:55 , Martha Mchardy

Prof Guillermo Rein, professor of fire science, Imperial College London, said: “The combination of heat, wind and people in the Mediterranean is mortal. There have always been wildfires in the South but climate change is making them larger, faster, and harder to stop.

“The intense heat of the summer dries vegetation and makes it very flammable, easier to catch fire. A heat wave or an unusually hot summer leads to even more flammable forests.

“Strong winds greatly accelerate wildfire. The combination of wind and dry vegetation makes wildfires much faster. They become walls of flames that cannot be stopped by ground crews or slowed down by airtankers.

“Large wildfires might jump over firebreaks because of the intense heat they radiate over dozens of meters, and the flying embers that can carry flames kilometres away.

“Poor management of forests leads to increased fuel loads, vegetation of the most flammable type, and few or narrow firebreaks. This is unfortunate, because fire safety and ecology require determined and wise management of the forest.

“When all goes wrong, when dry vegetation is plentiful, there is wind and previous forest management was poor, then the fire brigades cannot do much, and evacuation of communities along the possible fire path must be evacuated with plenty of time to reach a safe place.”

Mapped: Wind and temperatures in Greece on Monday

Monday 24 July 2023 17:40 , Martha Mchardy

British tourist says he knew wildfires were near when hot ash fell in his drink

Monday 24 July 2023 17:25 , Martha Mchardy

Dominic Doggett, 30, from Norwich, said he knew the wildfires in Rhodes were nearing when ash fell in his drink.

Speaking after landing at Gatwick Airport, Mr Doggett said: “We were sat having the wedding breakfast and you just sort of realised your glass of drink had a bit of hot ash in.

“At that point, we thought, yeah, maybe this might be affecting us more than we initially thought.”

New satellite images show scale of Rhodes wildfires

Monday 24 July 2023 17:10 , Martha Mchardy

Watch: Britons evacuated from Rhodes describe devastating wildfires

Monday 24 July 2023 16:55 , Martha Mchardy

‘Trauma’ for couple of honeymoon who fled Rhodes fires

Monday 24 July 2023 16:39 , Martha Mchardy

A newly-wed couple celebrating their honeymoon on Rhodes have spoken of their “traumatic” experience of being evacuated from their hotel amid “intense” smoke and the sound of a child screaming: “I don’t want to die”.

Claire and Paul Jones, both 36 from Leicestershire, were celebrating their honeymoon on Rhodes after getting married on July 16.

They travelled to the Greek island two days later on July 18, before the wildfires took hold.

Ms Jones recalled hearing about the fires on Thursday and said by Friday evening, when she and her husband were sitting outside having drinks, it “got really smoky at one point” and there was “ash dropping out of the sky”.

On Saturday, the couple was evacuated by coach from the Village Rhodes Beach Resort in Lindian Village, near Lardos, after she said the situation went from “zero to 100”.

Mrs Jones, a company director, told the PA news agency: “When we woke up [on Saturday], it had pretty much gone, it was clear sky again, it didn’t smell too bad, and we thought they had gotten it under control.”

Throughout the course of the day, she recalled how it “got worse and worse and worse again”, and said she and her husband decided to pack up their belongings, adding the hotel announced they were being evacuated “within 10 minutes” on Saturday.

“That’s how quickly it escalates, it was literally zero to 100,” she said.

“By the time we got our stuff and got to reception, which was probably another 10 minutes, everybody was at reception and you could see the fires.

“They had come over the hill, they were halfway down the hill, and everybody was just panicking.”

Mrs Jones has said she and her husband were “very lucky” as they have now managed to flee via a taxi to Faliraki in the north of the island, where they had planned to stay later in their trip.

“I’m finding it really hard to just switch off, I can’t stop thinking about it,” she added.

“I keep thinking of little things, like there was a little girl on the bus screaming to her mum, ‘I don’t want to die’.

“The kids were petrified because they could see the fire, it wasn’t a nice situation.”

Mrs Jones said as they fled they were given wet towels by the staff at the hotel because “the smoke had got so intense you could hardly breathe”.

While waiting for the coaches to arrive, Mrs Jones recalled: “When we got to the car park and you could see the fires getting closer and closer and closer, and the coaches weren’t turning up... that was really worrying.”

She added: “When we first got on the coach, that was the most scary because I thought, if that wind blows towards us, that fire is going to hit the coach.

“We had to drive through two or three fires on either side of the road, there was no way out, we had to drive through them.

“It was really quite traumatic driving to where we went because you could see everyone fleeing their hotels, and people were walking along the beaches, walking along the roads, and they had babies and small children.”

Wildfires seen from space

Monday 24 July 2023 16:23 , Martha Mchardy

Wildfires in Greece are visible from an International Space Station, a video shows.

Footage apparently taken from space shows smoke rising from areas in Greece.

‘Extreme fire risk' for Crete and Rhodes on Tuesday

Monday 24 July 2023 16:07 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Crete has been placed under the highest warning level as fears grow the island could be the next victim of raging wildfires in Greece.

According to the Fire Risk Prediction Map issued by the General Secretariat of Civil Protection of the Ministry of Climate Crisis & Civil Protection for tomorrow, there is an extreme fire risk - State of Alert (risk category 5) for the following areas:

• Region of Crete (Rethymnon Region, Heraklion Region, Lasithi Region)

• South Aegean Region (Rhodes Region)

There is a very high fire risk (risk category 4) for the following areas:

• Region of Attica

• Region of Central Greece

• North Aegean Region (Samos PE, Ikaria PE)

• South Aegean Region (Karpathos Region, Kalymnos Region, Kos Region)

• Region of Thessaly (P.E. Larissa, P.E. Magnesia)

• Region of Crete (Chania Region)

• Region of Peloponnese

• Ionian Islands District

• Region of Western Greece

Met Office boss hits back at claims weather maps are ‘being made scary’ as Europe burns

Monday 24 July 2023 15:54 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Met Office boss has hit out at claims from climate-change sceptics that weather maps are being “made scary” as Europe faces potentially record-breaking temperatures.

Greece is the latest to see the mercury top 40C, with the islands of Rhodes and Corfu hit by wildfires that have led to mass evacuations as the summer holiday season gets underway.

But Professor Penny Endersby, CEO of the Met Office, said there had been an “upsurge” in people denying the data behind such events as the severity of extreme weather intensifies.

Met Office boss hits back at claims weather maps are ‘made scary’ as Europe burns

Weather forecast for Greece as wildfires rage and second heatwave hits

Monday 24 July 2023 15:28 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Below we take a look at the Greek weather forecast for the upcoming days as wildfires have ravaged the country:

Weather forecast for Greece as wildfires rage and second heatwave hits

Tui gives update

Monday 24 July 2023 14:57 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Tui spokesperson said: “Our teams in Rhodes have been working tirelessly to support customers impacted by the wildfires in south-eastern parts of the island and three dedicated flights brought our first customers safely back to the UK overnight.

“We have reps in all evacuation centres and we’re aiming to get more people home from the affected areas as soon as we can.

“We appreciate how distressing and difficult it’s been for those who have been evacuated and ask that they continue to follow the advice of the local authorities and keep in touch with our teams.

“We have cancelled all outbound flights to Rhodes up to and including Friday 28th July, and have also cancelled all outbound flights for customers travelling to impacted hotels up to and including on Sunday 30th July.

“All customers due to travel on these flights will receive full refunds.

“Passengers due to travel to areas not affected by fires on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th July will be offered a fee free amend to another holiday or the option to cancel for a full refund. We are still operating empty outbound flights to bring those customers currently on holiday elsewhere in Rhodes home as planned and working to get those in affected areas as soon as possible.

“The safety and well-being of our customers and teams remains our top priority.”

Where are the fires in Corfu and Rhodes? Map reveals Greece wildfires

Monday 24 July 2023 14:34 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Thousands of people have been evacuated from towns and villages across Greece after wildfires ravaged the country.

Videos of roaring fires and towering black smoke have circulated online from Rhodes and Corfu. However, wildfires have erupted across several areas including Evia and the Peloponnese region.

Firefighters battled against 82 wildfires across the country overnight, forcing the “biggest evacuation” in the country’s history.

Where are the fires in Corfu and Rhodes? Map reveals Greece wildfires

Firefighters give water to rabbit rescued from Rhodes wildfire

Monday 24 July 2023 14:17 , Andy Gregory

Romanian firefighters have been pictured giving water to a rabbit saved from a wildfire burning on the island of Rhodes.

‘We would never have come’: British tourist lands in Rhodes to find hotel burnt down

Monday 24 July 2023 14:11 , Andy Gregory

Helen Tonks, a mother-of-six from Cheshire, said she was flown into a “living nightmare” by Tui at 11pm on Saturday and discovered her hotel had been closed.

She told The Sun newspaper: “We landed and were told ‘Sorry, you can’t go to your hotel – it’s burned down’.

“We had no idea the fires were this bad or as close to the hotels as they were. Tui said nothing, not even when our flight was delayed. Even the captain’s chat on the plane was upbeat.

“We would never have come if we had known.”

Satellite images show Rhodes wildfires from above

Monday 24 July 2023 13:50 , Andy Gregory

Satellite images taken by the firm Maxar Technologies shows an aerial view of the smoke rising from Rhodes:

Tourists should view Greek wildfires as a ‘big, big warning’, says leading UK climate expert

Monday 24 July 2023 13:32 , Andy Gregory

Tourists planning trips to the Mediterranean should see the Greek wildfires as a “big, big warning”, one of the UK’s leading climate scientists has said.

Sir David King, former UK chief scientific adviser and chair of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group, said many people will die from heat stress because of the relentless heatwaves over southern Europe, where millions of Britons travel on holiday each year.

Speaking to the PA news agency from another Greek island, Sir David warned tourists to take care in the heat, adding that he has “no doubt” that the extreme temperatures are due to melting ice in the Arctic caused by greenhouse gases emitted by people heating the Earth’s atmosphere.

He said: “If you are in one of these very warm areas and you haven’t got air conditioning indoors you could suffer terribly – many people will die from heat stress.

“You must have moving air – it makes an enormous difference. If there’s a large fan, preferentially a roof fan, that is moving the air in the room ... because moving the air helps to remove the perspiration from your body and keeps you cooler.

“I wouldn’t be too dogmatic about advice but, certainly, there’s a big, big warning this summer. To anyone planning to go overseas for the summer, ‘Be very careful’ would be my advice.”

Downing Street defends not discouraging Britons from going to Rhodes

Monday 24 July 2023 13:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Downing Street has defended not discouraging Britons from going to Rhodes after it sent a Foreign Office team to help holidaymakers amid fires.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Our advice is focused on the safety of British nationals and enabling people to make an informed decision about the situation on the ground.

“The current situation is impacting on a limited area in Rhodes and whilst it’s right to keep it under review and it’s possible that the advice may change we do not want to act out of proportion to the situation on the ground.”

He said there are “not currently” plans to get the RAF to help people leave.

Chilling satellite image shows scale of wildfires in Rhodes

Monday 24 July 2023 12:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

This satellite image shows the area affected by wildfires in Rhodes, Greece on Sunday.

An eruption of wildfires has forced the “biggest evacuation in Greek history” as around 2,500 have been evacuated from Corfu.

‘Like a disaster movie’: Brit family in Corfu describe holiday horror and escape plan

Monday 24 July 2023 12:39 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A British family was forced to flee in the middle of the night as the wildfires ravaging parts of Greece broke out in Corfu on Sunday evening and came within metres of their holiday home.

Rebecca Bell, 50, of Sheffield, was among those who received an evacuation order via a text message overnight as dozens of blazes erupted on the western island, with more than 2,000 people moved to safety.

“It did feel like the end of the world yesterday,” she told The Independent from the village of Sinies, describing the intensity of the heat, “banks of flames” cascading down the hillside, and a “yellow glow of fire” in the sky.

‘Like a disaster movie’: Brit family in Corfu describe holiday horror and escape plan

Simon Calder: BA and easyJet still selling flights to Rhodes despite wildfires

Monday 24 July 2023 12:36 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder has said it is extraordinary that a number of flights to Rhodes are still scheduled today, despite widlfires ravaging the Greek island.

Tourists have been forced to flee for their safety following the devastating fires, but some flights will still take off carrying British passengers to Rhodes today. The travel journalist also revealed many people with holidays booked are still travelling to Rhodes as normal, despite the warnings.

Jet2 has this morning announced it will operate three repatriation flights from Rhodes to bring customers back to the UK. The additional services are on top of the 50 plus scheduled flights operating between Rhodes and the UK up until Sunday.

Simon Calder: BA and easyJet still selling flights to Rhodes despite wildfires

German government convenes crisis meeting over Rhodes wildfires

Monday 24 July 2023 12:21 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The German government is to convene a crisis meeting on Monday to discuss the impact of wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes on German holidaymakers, according to a foreign ministry spokesperson.

Speaking during a regular news conference in Berlin, the spokesperson said the crisis meeting at 1100 GMT will allow the German government to “coordinate with our colleagues on the ground and then decide on possible further measures”.

An interior ministry spokesperson said that German federal police and fire fighters were already assisting Greek authorities in bringing affected people back to the mainland.

Fires burning since Wednesday have forced tens of thousands of tourists and residents to flee the island, with many evacuated on private boats as flames threatened resorts and coastal villages.

In pictures: Fire rages in Rhodes

Monday 24 July 2023 12:06 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Pictures show flames burning on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece.

Jet2 adds more flights to bring Britons back from Rhodes

Monday 24 July 2023 11:14 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

British travel company Jet2 said it would operate three extra flights on Monday night to bring more of its customers back to the United Kingdom, after wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes left them stranded after they evacuated hotels.

Jet2 said repatriation flights to Manchester, Leeds Bradford and Birmingham would bring about 600 people home, on top of 50 Rhodes to UK services it already has scheduled this week.

The company said it was also flying out more staff to help assist customers who had to flee their resorts and are now camped out in evacuation centres or waiting at the airport.

“We have a significantly expanded presence in Rhodes, with a huge team of experienced colleagues providing all the support we can for our customers,” Jet2 said in a statement on Monday.

There are about 7,000-10,000 Britons on Rhodes currently, according to a junior minister, and like Jet2, TUI and easyJet, are both putting on additional services.

EasyJet said it would have two repatriation flights on Monday and another on Tuesday, on top of its usual schedule of departures, and would keep under review whether it needed to add more.

Firefighters battle to contain 82 wildfires burning across Greece

Monday 24 July 2023 11:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Firefighters struggled through the night to contain 82 wildfires across Greece, 64 of which started on Sunday, 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 as wildfires burned for a sixth day, Greek authorities said.

Greece wildfires: Holiday and travel advice as Jet2 and Tui flights cancelled amid extreme weather

Monday 24 July 2023 10:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

UK airlines are continuing to sell flights for immediate departure from the UK to Rhodes despite the wildfires that have seen thousands of tourists evacuated from the island.

Holiday firms Jet2, the UK’s biggest tour operator, and Tui both announced on Sunday they would be cancelling all imminent flights and holidays to Rhodes and offering refunds because of the fires, which have been raging on the Greek island for six days.

But other airlines are continuing to offer seats on flights to Rhodes, and the travel firm Thomas Cook says most of its customers booked to travel ion Sunday and Monday are travelling as normal.

Holiday and flights advice as flights to Greece cancelled amid wildfires

Between 7,000 and 10,000 Britons currently on Rhodes, minister says

Monday 24 July 2023 09:57 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Foreign office minister Andrew Mitchell has confirmed there are between 7,000 and 10,000 Britons currently in Rhodes.

Asked why the government is not telling holidaymakers to avoid the island, he stressed that only 10 per cent of Rhodes is affected by the fires.

“And therefore it is the tourist companies and the holiday experts who are best placed to give guidance on whether or not a family or individuals’ holidays are going to be ruined by these events,” he told Times Radio.

But, asked if he would go on holiday there at the moment, he said: “I think I probably wouldn’t. But the point is that if I had booked a holiday I would take advice and would also take advice from the tour operator.”

Asked about the government’s response, Mr Mitchell said: “We deployed immediately a rapid forward team of six experts from the British Foreign Office, as well as four Red Cross operators as well.”

And he said the British teams were being “sympathetic and supportive” of those without the necessary documentation, who may have lost passports or other files fleeing the fires.

British tourist evacuated twice

Monday 24 July 2023 09:36 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

British tourist Kevin Evans was evacuated twice on Saturday with his wife and three young children - first from Kiotari to Gennadi, then as the fire approached the island’s capital in the northeast, he told the PA news agency.

“There were lots of people in Gennadi sent from the hotels - many in just swimsuits having been told to leave everything in the hotel,” he told PA.

“As night fell, we could see the fire on the top of the hills in Kiotari. They said all the hotels were on fire.”

Rhodes travel agent Stelios Kotiadis told the Associated Press the evacuation was hasty.

“There was panic. ... The authorities were overwhelmed,” he said.

But, he said, the abandoned hotels “are in much better condition than reported in social media. ... They will be ready to reopen very soon if Civil Protection gives the go-ahead”.

Mr Kotiadis said he and other travel agents sent buses to the island’s southeast to pick up evacuated tourists.

They had to go the long way around because the road running down Rhodes’ eastern side was blocked in places.

“There were 80 to 90 people cramming into 50-seater buses,” he said.

He added that 90% of the evacuated tourists are from European countries.

Tui gives update for tourists in Rhodes

Monday 24 July 2023 09:06 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Travel firm Tui has said holidaymakers have returned to the UK from Rhodes on “three dedicated flights”.

It said in a statement: “We’re now working hard to get everybody home safely, with our first passengers returning to the UK on three dedicated flights overnight and plans in place to get everyone affected back as soon as possible.

“We appreciate how distressing and difficult it’s been for those who have been evacuated and ask that they continue to follow the advice of the local authorities and keep in touch with the Tui reps who are present in all evacuation centres. Our teams will be contacting customers with any updates as soon as they can.

“We have cancelled all outbound flights to Rhodes up to and including Tuesday, and passengers due to travel on these flights will receive full refunds.

“Passengers due to travel on Wednesday will be offered a fee-free amend to another holiday or the option to cancel for a full refund.

“We are still operating flights to bring those customers currently on holiday elsewhere in Rhodes home as planned.

“The safety and wellbeing of our customers and teams remains our top priority.”

Tourists forces to walk for miles to reach safety

Monday 24 July 2023 08:43 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In Rhodes, some holidaymakers said they walked for miles in scorching heat to reach safety. The fires left blackened trees and dead animals lay in the road near burnt-out cars.

Many tourists spent the night on the airport floor, waiting for repatriation flights. “It was quite a bit of a struggle on the beach with the smoke,” said John Hope, a tourist from Manchester, England.

Tour operators Jet2, TUI and Corendon cancelled flights leaving for Rhodes. Britain’s easyJet said on Sunday it was operating two repatriation flights on Monday from Rhodes to London’s Gatwick airport in addition to the nine flights already operating between the island and Gatwick.

The airline said it will add another repatriation flight on Tuesday.

Ryanair said on Sunday its flights to and from Rhodes were operating as normal. Its Chief Financial Officer Neil Sorahan said the airline was monitoring the situation on Monday.

“We have a lot of customers there who want to get home. We’re not going to leave them behind so we’ll travel back in and out,” he said.

“It’s not necessary at this period in time (to put on more flights), we’re letting people book onto earlier flights.”

Watch: Rhodes tourists sleep on airport floor awaiting evacuation

Monday 24 July 2023 08:37 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Tourists fleeing wildfires in Rhodes were forced to sleep on the floor for a second night in a row as they waited for evacuation flights.

British tourists describe fleeing for their lives from Rhodes wildfire: ‘It was hell on earth’

Monday 24 July 2023 08:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A mother who says she experienced “hell on earth” was among the British tourists forced to flee Rhodes this weekend as fierce wildfires continue to rip through the Greek holiday island.

Officials on the island, which sits southwest of Turkey in the Aegean Sea, launched Greece’s biggest-ever evacuation operation as the blaze tore through vast swathes of land, threatening resorts popular with holidaymakers.

Tourists were forced to shelter in schools, sports stadiums, airports and alternative hotels as firefighters desperately fought to contain the flames, which officials fear may worsen on Monday as wind speeds more than double on the island.

‘It was hell on earth’: British tourists describe fleeing Rhodes wildfire inferno

Wildfires force tourists in Rhodes to flee

Monday 24 July 2023 08:18 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

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.

Rhodes and Corfu are among Greece’s top destinations for tourists mainly from Britain and Germany.

“We are in the seventh day of the fire and it hasn’t been controlled,” Rhodes Deputy Mayor Konstantinos Taraslias told state broadcaster ERT.

Around 2,500 people evacuated from Corfu

Monday 24 July 2023 08:05 , Stuti Mishra

Around 2,500 individuals have been successfully evacuated from Corfu, the Greek fire service has said, as evacuations continue in three islands.

Yannis Artopios, a spokesperson for the fire department, said some 2,466 people have been evacuated overnight, according to AFP news agency.

No houses or hotels have been impacted evacuated so far, he said.

59 people evacuated from Corfu by sea

Monday 24 July 2023 07:53 , Stuti Mishra

Sea evacuations have begun from Greece's Corfu to move individuals fleeing wildfires out of the island.

Around 59 people were evacuated from Nissaki beach on the northwest coast, the Greek Coast Guard has said.

The evacuation was carried out using six coast guard vessels and nine private vessels.

Tourists fleeing Rhodes inferno spend second night in airport

Monday 24 July 2023 07:50 , Stuti Mishra

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

Evacuations also begin in Evia

Monday 24 July 2023 07:31 , Stuti Mishra

Another Greek Island, Evia, has started evacuating people as more wildfires erupted after Corfu and Rhodes

Authorities told residents of four southern villages to evacuate to the town of Karystos.

Central Greece vice-governor Giorgos Kelaiditis, who was near one of the villages, told state agency ANA-MPA that the situation was difficult, according to The Guardian.

“The fire may be 2km away, but the wind is strong, the growth is low, the smoke thick and the air is hard to breathe,” he said.

UK airlines still selling tickets to Rhodes despite wildfire inferno

Monday 24 July 2023 07:10 , Stuti Mishra

UK airlines are continuing to sell flights for immediate departure from the UK to Rhodes despite the wildfires that have seen thousands of tourists evacuated from the island.

Holiday firms Jet2, the UK’s biggest tour operator, and Tui both announced on Sunday they would be cancelling all imminent flights and holidays to Rhodes and offering refunds because of the fires, which have been raging on the Greek island for six days.

But other airlines are continuing to offer seats on flights to Rhodes, and the travel firm Thomas Cook says most of its customers booked to travel ion Sunday and Monday are travelling as normal.

Our travel correspondent Simon Calder has more:

UK airlines still selling tickets to Rhodes despite wildfire inferno

Video shows night sky turning orange as fires burn in Corfu

Monday 24 July 2023 06:53 , Stuti Mishra

A video of Corfu wildfires shows a line of wildfire burning in Corfu, turning the night sky orange.