Greece wildfires: Everything you need to know

Authorities in Greece have issued fresh evacuation orders for parts of Corfu as wildfires erupted on the island. Fires in Rhodes have already forced 19,000 people to leave their homes as holidaymakers said they walked for miles in scorching heat to reach safety. “The smoke was coming. So we all set off on foot. I walked 12 miles (19 km) in this heat yesterday. It took me four hours,” British tourist Chris Freestone told the Reuters News Agency. Sea evacuations have now begun from a beach in Corfu to transport individuals fleeing from the fires on the island. Around 59 people were evacuated from Nissaki Beach on the northwest coast, the Greek Coast Guard has said. The evacuation was carried out using six coast guard vessels and nine private vessels. People in Santa, Megoula, Porta, Palia Perithia and Sinies were told to evacuate to Kasiopi due to the raging fires. The Greek government’s Emergency Communication Service has said: ‘In Rhodes, the Civil Protection forces continue to fight the flames non-stop. Since the first light of day, 10 aircraft, and 8 helicopters, of which 2 are coordinating, have taken off and are operating consecutively. ‘Regarding the ground forces, there are 266 firefighters, 16 groups of infantry departments, 49 firefighting water vehicles, as well as hundreds of volunteers who support the efforts of the firefighters.’ As the wildfires rage on, here is everything you need to know about how a wildfire evacuation protocol works The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) describe a wildfire as: ‘Any unplanned and uncontrolled wildland fire that, regardless of ignition source, may require suppression response or other action according to agency policy.’ According to Readyforwildfire.org, people should leave as soon as an evacuation is recommended by emergency services. Make sure you leave as soon as you receive the news and do not wait for authorities to come to you or to be ordered directly by authorities to leave. ‘Evacuating the forest fire area early also helps firefighters keep roads clear of congestion, and lets them move more freely to do their job. In an intense wildfire, they will not have time to knock on every door. If you are advised to leave, don’t hesitate,’ readyforwildfire.org has said on its website. Here are some steps you can take: Emergency services will know exactly which areas will need to be evacuated and which escape routes you can take, so be on high alert. Be sure to follow the orders authorities give you. Always stay informed, you can do this by checking the latest on your phone, on social media, radio or television. Officials may direct you to a temporary assembly point, where you will be transferred to a safe location. Readyforwildfire.org has said on its website that people should not return to their homes until fire officials determine it is safe. ‘Notification that it is safe to return home will be given as soon as possible considering safety and accessibility,’ it added. The official government website has said the help the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) can give may be limited. Make sure you are covered by travel insurance. Find out if your holiday is financially protected and what your flights are during your holiday. There has been a Crisis Management Unit set up to respond to the situation in Rhodes. They can be contacted at +30 210 368 1730 / +30 210 3681259 / +30 210 3681350. However, people have been advised to contact their airline or travel operator who can assist with a return to the UK. The government website has also said during hot temperatures, people should take extra caution and follow NHS guidelines on how to cope during hot weather. The National Operational Guidance (NOG) has said a wildfire will burn over a period of time in areas that provide the space over which the fire can move. The NOG said the behaviour of the wildfire is dependent on a number of variables, these include: ‘its movement across the landscape’ which ‘brings instability within the fire environment caused by changes to the available fuel’ as well as ‘its combustibility and arrangement, the shape of the topography and the effects of weather.’ According to the Guinness World Records, the longest wildfire was the Chinchaga Fire in 1950 which grew out of control and ended five months later on 31 October in Alberta – in that time, it burned approximately 1.2 million hectares (3 million acres) of boreal forest. Jet2 and Tui have cancelled all flights to Rhodes. The Jet2 planes were scheduled to depart full of tourists bound for the Greek island. But the planes were empty and will be used to evacuate holidaymakers fleeing the blaze. On Sunday (23 July), Jet 2 put out a statement on Twitter and said they are ‘keeping the situation under constant review’. In its full statement, the airline said: ‘The situation in Rhodes continues to evolve quickly and our absolute priority is the health, safety and well-being of customers and colleagues in the affected areas. We can confirm that: Our in-resort teams are working hard to comply with the guidance of local authorities, and we are continuing to bring more customer helpers and local authorities colleagues to the area.’ The airline said it will continue to ask customers in affected areas to follow the advice of the local authorities, as well as ‘staff in their hotels’ It said it was ‘contacting customers as quickly as possible. The statement continued: ‘Due to these extraordinary circumstances, we have cancelled all flights and holidays that are due to depart to Rodes up to and including Sunday 30th July. We believe this is the right thing to do for everything, and we will be contacting affected customers with regard to their refund or rebooking options. ‘We will fly those aircraft to Rhodes with no customers on board so that we can continue to bring customers back to the UK on their scheduled flights.’ TUI has also put out a statement and said their teams are ‘working hard with local authorities in Greece to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our customers currently on holiday in Rhodes and impacted by the wildfires.’