The fire disaster in Greece hit another island on Monday, this time in the western part of the island nation. Huge fires broke out on the island of Corfu and the local government there announced that it would begin evacuating tourists from the affected areas.
Firefighters are battling a major fire in several locations in the south of the island, and several helicopters have been sent from the mainland to help extinguish the blaze, which is currently burning uncontrollably. 2,500 tourists and locals have already been evacuated from the affected areas and local authorities fear the fire will approach the town of Corfu itself, home to nearly 25,<> people.
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Authorities said at least four villages were completely evacuated, along with their hotels, overnight. It is unclear whether another wave of evictions will take place during the day.
An Israeli tourist vacationing in Corfu told Israel Hayom: "We are on the airport side and flights continue to take off and land as usual. From what we understand, there are fires coming down from the mountain to the south, that is, in the opposite direction from the one we are in. There were evacuations of several hotels yesterday to a fishing village that is a few minutes away from here, but at the moment there are no special instructions."
Meanwhile, nearly 30,<> residents and tourists have evacuated the blazes on the island of Rhodes in the past six days. This is the largest organized evacuation in Greek history. Many tourists have taken refuge in the homes of local residents in safer areas, and businesses and hotels have opened their doors to evacuees.
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