Hotels threatened, tourists evacuated to nearby beach due to major wildfire on Rhodes

A major wildfire on the popular Greek holiday island of Rhodes was burning out of control on Saturday, with flames nearing three hotels in the Kiotari area, according to reports.

Local media reported that hundreds of guests and holiday-makers staying at the trio of units have been evacuated, mostly towards a nearby beach, where four coast guard vessels were on standby. Private boats were also on standby at the main port of Rhodes should a seaborne evacuation be ordered.

A large contingent of fire-fighters, volunteers and hotel workers were attempting to stop the blaze from nearing the buildings.

The raging wildfire, part of a front that erupted on the Dodecanese Island on Tuesday, has also affected power supply, with rotating power outages of up to one hour reported. The blaze continues to burn near the island’s high-voltage network, according to the grid transmission operator, DEDDHE.