Greece orders new evacuations as wind fuels fires

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RHODES, Greece (AP) — A fire that started a week ago on the Greek island of Rhodes broke through prepared defenses Monday, forcing more people to evacuate as three other fires continued to burn across the country fanned by strong winds and multiple heat waves.

The new evacuations were ordered in southern Rhodes after 19,000 people, mostly tourists, were transferred by buses and boats over the weekend to get them out of the path of a fire that has spread to several coastal areas from nearby mountains.

Aid kept coming from the European Union and elsewhere. Turkish fire fighter planes joined the efforts in Rhodes, where eight water-dropping planes and 10 helicopters hovered over flames up to 5 meters (16 feet) high despite poor visibility.

“The risk of fire will be extreme in several parts of Greece today,” fire spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said after a day when temperatures in the southern part of the Greek mainland reached 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).

Evacuations were also ordered overnight on the western island of Corfu, where more than 2,000 people, including tourists, were moved to safety on the island of Evia and a mountainous area in the southern Peloponnese region.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen contacted Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Sunday evening to offer further assistance.

“I called Mitsotakis to express our full support for Greece, which is facing devastating wildfires and a harsh heat wave due to climate change,” he wrote in a tweet.

In Rhodes, officials from the Greek Foreign Ministry were working at the international airport with various embassies and diplomats from Britain to assist tourists who had lost their travel documents.

The army was also helping to prepare temporary accommodation in Rhodes, where schools and sports centers were opened to help.

Relative relief from the heat was coming Monday with forecast highs of 38 degrees C (100 F), followed by a further rise in temperatures starting Tuesday.

However, Thursday should be significantly cooler, with temperatures between 30 and 35 C, the Greek Meteorological Service said on Sunday evening.

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Gatopoulos reported from Athens.