Tens of thousands of vacationers have had to be evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes after wildfires broke out. Greece has been among the European countries that have seen soaring temperatures in recent weeks, often exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). Fires have blazed for nearly a week in some areas as a result of the high heat, with Rhodes being particularly badly hit due to it being fanned by strong winds since Tuesday. Rescue missions have been underway to get tourists off the island, with around 19,000 people having been evacuated so far, in what Greek authorities have called the largest operation of its king. <img class="wp-image-1263222082 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2023/07/GettyImages-1547683672.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" />[[imagecaption|| Wildfires have raged across the island. Credit: Lefty Damian/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images]] As well as Rhodes, around 2,500 people have been evacuated from Corfu, which is around 670 miles away, per <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66286741">the BBC,</a> with people having been told to leave the areas of Santa, Megoula, Porta, Palia, Perithi, and Sinies. Up to 10,000 British nationals are thought to be in Rhodes at present, as it is the height of the summer season and an extremely popular destination for tourists. Airlines and holiday operators have been scrambling to get holidaymakers home despite the wildfires, and many have been sleeping in the airport, on the street, and in makeshift rescue centers after holiday resorts were put at risk. Some customers were able to return home on dedicated flights overnight while other repatriation flights are planned for Monday. As well as holidaymakers, many local have also had to flee on foot, abandoning their belongings as several homes have been destroyed from the eastern coast to the center of the island. Holidaymaker James Jones, who had safely returned to Birmingham Airport in the UK, told the BBC that he and his family were told by resort staff to flee to the beach from their hotel and had to dump their luggage on the sand and await rescue by the coastguard. He revealed: "As you looked behind you it was coming over the mountains, the fire was just moving so fast, it was horrific." [[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7hx23R20pE]] Jones added that people were told to "get away from anything flammable and get on the rocks, stay near the water", and many were using clothes as makeshift face coverings to help avoid breathing in the heavy smoke. The UK Foreign Office issued updated travel advice for tourists hoping to visit Greece, warning: "The situation can change quickly, so you should stay up to date with official advice", and adding that people already there should follow guidance from the emergency services. The cause of the wildfires remains unclear, but it is thought that the extremely high temperatures and dry terrain helped them to spread. Despite the situation in Rhodes, flights have continued to land on the island, with some sun-seekers arriving over the weekend to find that their hotels had already been evacuated. Many airlines running holidays to the island have either cancelled trips or advised that customers would be able to fly home early free of charge if needed. <h6>Featured image credit: Damianidis Eleftherios/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images</h6>

Tens of thousands of tourists evacuated from Greek vacation hotspot as fires ravage Rhodes

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