A newlywed couple from the UK, Claire and Paul Jones, were celebrating their honeymoon on the Greek island of Rhodes when they were suddenly evacuated from their hotel due to “intense” smoke and the sound of a child screaming “I don’t want to die”. The couple, both 36 from Leicestershire, had traveled to Rhodes on July 18 and had been enjoying their post-wedding vacation until the wildfires took hold.
On Friday evening, Ms. Jones recalled hearing about the fires and said that by the next day, the situation had escalated rapidly. “It got really smoky at one point, and there was ash dropping out of the sky,” she said. As the situation worsened, the couple decided to pack up their belongings and wait for evacuation instructions. However, before they could leave, they were advised to join the crowds of panicked travelers in the hotel reception area.
“It was literally zero to 100,” Ms. Jones said, describing the sudden escalation of the situation. “By the time we got to reception, it was clear that the fires had come over the hill and were halfway down the hill, and everybody was just panicking.” The hotel staff handed them wet towels to protect themselves from the intense smoke, which had made it difficult to breathe.
As the couple waited for the coaches to arrive, they were given a glimpse of the chaos outside. “When we got to the car park and you could see the fires getting closer and closer, and the coaches weren’t turning up… that was really worrying,” Ms. Jones said. When the coaches finally arrived, the couple joined the masses of evacuees, including a young girl who was screaming “I don’t want to die” to her mother. The coaches had to navigate through multiple fires to reach safety.
Wildfires Rage on Greek Holiday Island
After arriving at a beach, the couple waited for around two hours as they watched the fires getting closer and closer. They eventually boarded a speedboat, which took them to a larger boat in the direction of Lindos on the island. They “boat-hopped” onto two more boats before finally reaching Lindos Bay. From there, they fled via taxi to Faliraki in the north of the island, where they had originally planned to stay later in their trip.
The experience left Ms. Jones shaken, saying she was “finding it really hard to just switch off” and was still replaying the traumatic events in her mind. Despite being “very lucky” to have escaped the fires, she was overwhelmed by the chaos and panic that surrounded her. As they waited in the taxi, they were joined by an older woman and a man who had also been affected by the fires, having lost all their belongings except for their passports and a small bag.
The couple’s harrowing account highlights the devastating impact of the wildfires on the island of Rhodes, which has left many tourists stranded and in distress.
