Two Luxembourg tourists share experience of Rhodes forest fires

Thousands of people have been evacuated from the island after the forest fires broke out over a week ago, while a fleet of planes and helicopters have attempted to extinguish the flames. The strong winds in the area have hampered efforts to waterbomb the fires, while the extent of the fire is even visible on satellite images.

Two of the evacuated Luxembourgish holidaymakers shared their experience with RTL.

Chaotic evacuation

Jenna Kolber was holidaying in the southeast of the island, in Kiotari, last week, before the fire broke out. "On Friday night, we started to smell the fire outside and the clothes on our balcony were covered in ash. We covered the doors with damp towels before we went to bed, to stop the smoke from getting in," she says.

In the morning, the power went out in the hotel during breakfast. At 1pm, guests noticed the smoke cloud outside was rapidly approaching, and getting darker. Shortly afterwards, the hotel announced that guests were to be evacuated.

© Jenna Kolber

"We were given wet cloths to hold over our mouths, to help us breathe," Jenna describes. "Two buses arrived to take us to Grennadi, where they dropped us at a small tavern on the beach. We were given no information as to what was going on, but then a hotel opposite gave us water and food."

Firefighting planes passed over throughout the afternoon, refuelling with seawater. But once the planes descended in the evening, the flames continued to grow bigger.

The ordeal continues

More buses were meant to collect the guests at 10pm that evening, but they were unable to get through as all roads had closed in the north of the island. Then, Grennadi was evacuated, with residents gathering on the beach with the stranded tourists.

"At about 11pm we saw ships approaching in the distance. The army and the Red Cross used small boats to ferry people across the sea to the big ships. It was extremely crowded, so if a small boat didn't come to a stop directly in front of you, it was impossible to even approach it, let alone get on."

© Jenna Kolber

At around 2am, a bus finally managed to get through, but it filled up extremely quickly. "We then decided we would no longer wait on the beach, but instead walked up to the road in the hope that other buses would arrive."

Eventually three other buses turned up, enabling Jenna and her companion to board. First they stopped at a hotel where people were already laying on the ground, then proceeded to a Luxair-Tours hotel where they were let out at around 4am. "We, and hundreds of others, tried to sleep on chairs and on the floor."

Later that morning, the two women were driven to the airport, where they were able to catch their flight home as planned.

"We're very happy to be home," Jenna says. "But we are thinking of all those still on the island who have lost their homes, as well as all those working round the clock to fight the fires."

Arrival on the island cut short

On Sunday morning, Martine Gangolf flew from Luxembourg to Rhodes for her holiday, unaware of how dire the situation actually was. Upon landing at Rhodes airport, Martine and her friend were only allowed to progress to their hotel following a great number of phone calls made by their Luxair-Tours guide.

Once they arrived at the hotel, matters failed to improve. The hotel was virtually empty, Martine says. "We were told the area had been evacuated overnight, so we were quite angry and surprised we were even allowed to stay there."

Martine and her friend were then confined to the hotel on Sunday, as they were forbidden from going outside.

There was little information from their guide, and they were told only the authorities could decide whether it would be evacuated or not. The two young women did not unpack their suitcases and spent the night without sleep due to their concerns.

On Monday morning, the two women returned to the airport to board a flight back to Luxembourg. Martine says a hotline would have been useful, as they felt there was no responsibility for them on the ground and they found it difficult to contact anybody. Both Martine and her friend hope that Luxair-Tours will reimburse any rebooking costs for their failed holiday. On Wednesday, Luxair confirmed it would offer free cancellations and alternatives to holidaymakers affected by the wildfires.