Holiday from hell - 26th July 2023

Thousands of tourists on Rhodes have been forced to end their holidays. Temperatures of 45 degrees celsius have resulted in uncontrollable wildfires at the busiest time of year for Greece' s tourism industry.

UK tourist Kelly Squirrel's hotel was threatened by wildfire. She and other guests were instructed by police to rush to the beach for safety.

Kelly Squirrel: "We were around the pool yesterday, saw the fires. One o' clock the police came into our reception and told everyone to get on to the beach. So, we ran down to the beach. We just sat there for fifteen minutes, half an hour and then more smoke came over us so we were told to move along the beach. Just keep walking. So, we were walking for about six hours, in the heat."

As they hurried to evacuate their hotels, many tourists left everything behind. British tourists Kevin Sales and his wife offered some of their clothes to a woman who'd left with nothing.

Kevin Sales: "We went to the stadium for somewhere to stay and I couldn't believe the stories I was hearing from the people who' ve been evacuated from hotels. All their money, passports, clothing, we had to lend a woman some of my wife's clothes cause she had nothing to wear. It was terrible."

Embassies in Greece and the Greek foreign ministry are present at Rhodes airport. They're assisting those who've lost their travel and identity documents.

Tour operators from Germany, France and the UK are flying their customers back home. However, many travellers are confused because some tour companies are still encouraging travel. Some governments haven't given updated advice against travelling to Greece.

Over 250 firefighters are battling the wildfires. They're being supported by 18 aircraft. However, strong winds are spreading the fires quickly. They've also returned to Evvia, an island which was destroyed by wildfires last summer. And they're burning on another popular Greek island, Corfu.