THOUSANDS FORCED TO FLEE GREEK ISLAND OF RHODES AS WILDFIRE SPREADS
Greece: Rhodes wildfire forces thousands to flee
Thousands of people were evacuated on Saturday from homes and hotels on the Greek Island of Rhodes, authorities said.
A large wildfire that has been raging for five days forced several people to flee several of the island's coastal villages and beaches.
Three coast guard vessels, an army lifeboat and 30 private sailboats helped to evacuate at least 2,000 people, including tourists, fire department spokesperson Yannis Artopios said.
Some 30,000 people were moved to safety. Artopios said that all the visitors had been safely evacuated from the hotels and rented homes.