According to local authorities, some 30,000 people have been able to leave the threatened areas. The evacuees were on the beaches of Kiotari and Lardos, on the east coast of this tourist island in the Mediterranean, according to the Greek coast guard.
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More than 30 boats took part, on Saturday July 22, in an evacuation operation on the tourist island of Rhodes, in Greece, where a forest fire has been raging for five days. According to the Greek coastguard, the evacuees were on the beaches of Kiotari and Lardos, on the east coast of this Mediterranean island. Three boats carried out this operation, in which around thirty private boats took part, while a Greek navy ship headed for the area.
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Three hotels in the Kiotari sector suffered damage in particular. Warned by text, the tourists tried to go to the beach with their suitcases. Some had strollers with children, while others were unable to contact their airline and missed their flights. According to local authorities, some 30,000 people were able to leave the threatened areas by any means.
Five helicopters and 173 firefighters engaged
In addition, according to the television channel ERT, firefighters had to take refuge in the monastery of Ypseni, near Lardos. They got stuck there after trying to convince the nuns there to leave.
According to the deputy fire chief, Yannis Artapoios, this fire, which started in a mountain in the center of the island, is the most difficult among those faced by the firefighters of Rhodes. Five helicopters and 173 firefighters are engaged to fight the fire. Greece is currently experiencing an exceptionally long heat wave, with temperatures expected to rise above 44°C this weekend.