Fires burning on Greek island of Rhodes for fifth day, forcing authorities to order evacuations of four sites
Post Date – 23rd Saturday 22nd July 10:30pm
Athens: Fires have burned for a fifth day on the Greek island of Rhodes, forcing authorities to order the evacuation of four sites, including two seaside resorts.
The wildfire had been confined to the island’s mountainous center in previous days, but it spread toward the island’s central-eastern coast on Saturday amid high winds, high temperatures and dry conditions.
Local media reported that the fire had spread to three hotels and their patrons had been evacuated.
Fire Department spokesman Yannis Artopios said Saturday afternoon that residents in four areas had received evacuation text messages, with residents in two areas told to move northeast and two others told to move southwest.
Artopios said more than 200 firefighters and 40 fire engines were on the ground, assisted by three planes and five helicopters. The force includes 31 firefighters and 5 fire trucks from Slovakia.
The main front of the fire is triangular in shape, with two points close to the sea and one in the mountains. On the map, each side of the triangle is more than 10 kilometers (6 miles) long.
Three Coast Guard ships, plus a military vessel, were evacuating people from two beaches. Twenty private ships assisted, and the Greek Navy also sent a vessel.
Artopios said the fire in Rhodes Island was just the most dangerous of many fires burning across Greece.
A fire was receding northwest of Athens and near Sparta, but conditions such as temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) and low humidity (less than 15 percent) on Sunday meant the danger was not over and more wildfires could break out, he said.
The fire department has designated almost the entire eastern part of the mainland, plus Evia and Rhode Island and swathes of the southwest, as Level 5, the highest risk of fire Sunday. There is also a large part of the country designated as Category IV, which is extremely high risk.
Meteorologists have warned that there will be a brief respite from the heatwave on Monday, but it will resume on Tuesday and could last at least until Friday.
Fire brigades from eight EU countries were either on the move or imminently arriving, Artopios said. Israel, Jordan and Turkey have also sent reinforcements, mostly air assets.
