Dozens of British tourists holidaying in Rhodes have joined forces with locals to tackle the deadly blazes engulfing the island.
Heroic Londoners helped create makeshift fire trucks by attaching water hoses to 4x4s as others have manned aid tents for the island’s displaced residents.
The deadly blazes, fanned by rising temperatures and strong winds, have killed five people, destroyed homes, farms and factories and scorched swathes of forest land since July 17.
As most Brits fled, some donned Covid masks and used garden spades, pickaxes, knives from home, chainsaws and water bottles to wade in and help hero fire tackle the fires.
Catherine O’Dea told The Times: “This isn’t quite what I expected to do on my holiday”. The market trader from south London added: “This is day four for us — I’ve been manning the hoses.”
Mary Caristofakaki, 29, moved away from Rhodes but came back to fight the fires in her hometown of Vati. “It’s ‘do it yourself’ firefighting,” she told the paper.
In the hard-hit area of Magnesia, wildfires reached an air force ammunition depot close to the coastal town of Nea Aghialos on Thursday. The blaze at the depot caused powerful explosions and the coast guard said people were forced to escape by land and sea to Volos, the regional capital.
Fighter jets stationed at a nearby military airport were moved as a precaution, a government official said.
The shockwave was felt miles away, causing glass windows of several shops to shatter.
It came as other tourists are struggling to get refunds for holidays with one woman describing her situation as an “absolute nightmare”.
Anita Madhas, 49, was scheduled to travel to Rhodes in early August with her 72-year-old mother in a group of around 20 friends and family, but they no longer wish to go to the island after their hotel, the Lindos Imperial, was partially damaged by fire.
Ms Madhas paid just over £1,000 for return flights for herself and her mother for August 3 to 13, which have not been cancelled.
She said: “That flight is scheduled to go out to Rhodes and I won’t get a refund. I only get a refund if that flight is cancelled.
“It’s just an absolute nightmare at the moment. I’m trying to get everybody to get some kind of transfer or refund, so that we can all rebook and go somewhere else.”
