Greece: evacuation due to forest fire in Rhodes

ATHENS (Reuters) – Hundreds of people were forced to evacuate on Saturday after five days of wildfires raging on Greece’s island of Rhodes, officials said.

Coast Guard spokesman Nikos Alexiou said at least 2,000 people had been evacuated by coast guard and pleasure boats from beaches near Kiotari and Lardos in the island’s southeast.

Firefighters with the help of Canadair and Slovakian crews have brought the new blaze under control, while the blaze has been raging for five days due to strong winds.

Saturday’s fire damaged three hotels in the village of Kiotari, according to the Athens news agency, after the blaze on Tuesday has already destroyed a large part of the forest.

Authorities have warned of a high risk of fires in Rhodes and other parts of Greece on Sunday, as temperatures are expected to reach 45 degrees.

(Reporting by Angelique Coutantou; French edition by Camille Renaud)