Eighty-two fires are burning across Greece at the time of writing, 64 of which started on Sunday, July 23, the hottest day of the year so far for the country.
The Greek island of Rhodes has been the most heavily hit, but fires have also broken out on Corfu and Evia, all three of which are popular holiday destinations.
As a result, both holidaymakers and locals are being evacuated in the largest ever operation of its kind in Greece, including an estimated 10,000 Britons.
This comes after Jet2 and Tui both cancelled all flights to Rhodes, while tourists report needing to walk for hours in the heat in order to find safety.
Firefighting aircraft from Turkey, Croatia, and Egypt are being flown in to help control the blazes.
While the unusually hot weather, with highs of 38°C in some areas, has created conditions for the fires to spread, it’s believed that the fires on both Rhodes and Corfu may have been started as a result of arson.
“There were four fires that started simultaneously,” Theofanis Skembris, deputy mayor of North Corfu, told the BBC. “We have to wait for the investigation, but their [the fire department’s] first unofficial assumption is that it was arson — fires can’t start simultaneously in four different places.
“The situation in the island is better now,” he continued. “Most of the fires are under control. There are firefighting airplanes helping. I believe that everything will be over soon.”
Here’s what you need to know about the islands that are affected, as well as advice if your holiday has been cancelled.
Which islands were affected?
Rhodes
19,000 people have been evacuated from Rhodes, the island hit the most by the fires.
Beginning in the forests on the islands, the fires spread throughout the island before beginning to threaten resorts in the south of Rhodes.
Safety information for Rhodes
Resorts, hotels, and local authorities are organising evacuations but if you are in an emergency situation or in immediate danger, you are advised to call the Greek Emergency Services on 112.
The Greek government has also established a Crisis Management Unit to respond to the situation in Rhodes. They can be contacted on:
- +30 210 368 1730
- +30 210 368 1259
- +30 210 368 1350
You can also register on the Greek government’s Emergency Communication Service to get emergency alerts for Rhodes.
How far is Zante from Rhodes?
With the fires burning on Rhodes, Corfu, and Evia at the moment, there are concerns about which other islands might be affected.
However, the Greek islands are spread across large areas of water. For example, Zakynthos, home to the party strip of Zante, is more than 400 miles away from Rhodes, where the fiercest fires are burning.
Corfu
The fire on Corfu was burning on a large coastal front, with boats from the area now dispatched to evacuate residents by sea.
Once again, the fires appear to have started in the forests, with dry and hot weather conditions causing them to spread to coastal areas.
Safety information for Corfu
Whilethe fires are less intense on this island, some areas of Corfu are being evacuated, particularly in the south.
If you are on holiday in Corfu, you are advised to follow advice from local authorities regarding when to evacuate. If you are unsure if you are affected, you should call your hotel or travel operator.
How far is Kos from Corfu?
Similarly, Kos is roughly 450 miles away from Corfu and takes just under four hours to fly between the two islands.
That means that many other islands are largely unaffected by the wildfires, although are experiencing scorching temperatures at the same time.
Evia
The fires in Evia are also on the south of the island, threatening five villages in particular: Livadi, Potami, Pernaraki, Platanistos and Kastro.
The fires are smaller than on Corfu and Rhodes, but the smoke is reportedly still thick enough in some areas to be hazardous to health.
Safety information for Evia
The inhabitants of these villages are being evacuated to the town of Karystos. The same advice for Corfu and Rhodes applies, with the numbers for the Crisis Management Unit applying to all three islands.
How many Greek islands are there?
There are 6,000 Greek islands but only 227 islands are inhabited.
The five largest are Crete, Evia, Lesbos, Rhodes, and Chios, but the most popular for UK tourists tend to be Rhodes, Crete, Kos, Corfu, and Santorini.
Which holiday resorts have been evacuated?
Thousands of holidaymakers have been evacuated, with all of Rhodes’s hotels and resorts organising ways for both tourists and locals to flee to safety.
On Corfu, those living and staying in the areas of Santa, Megoula, Porta, Palia Perithia, and Sinies are being evacuated to Kassiopi, a village on the northeast coast of the island.
What to do if your holiday has been cancelled due to the Greek island wildfires
With both Jet2 and TUI cancelling all flights to Rhodes until next Monday (July 31), if you have an upcoming holiday to Rhodes, Corfu, or Evia, then you should have received a notification from your airline or holiday agent that your trip has been cancelled.
Thomas Cook has cancelled all holidays to Kiotari and Lardos — the areas of Rhodes most at risk — until July 31 and would be in touch with customers to arrange “swift refunds”.
It has also offered full refunds to customers due to depart for other parts of the island on Sunday and Monday who wish to cancel their trip.
Easyjet has also cancelled all package holidays to Rhodes, Corfu, and Evia until Tuesday (August 1), but there seems to be a tentative hope that holidays booked for after the middle of next week could still go ahead.
Flights by Ryanair and British Airways are currently running as normal.
If your flight has been cancelled, then you should be entitled to a full refund, or potentially an option to rebook for another date. Contact the airline if you have not received an email regarding your flight.
