On their honeymoon, two newlyweds compared traveling to Rhodes to "being thrown into a disaster movie.".
One of the up to 10,000 UK citizens believed to be on the Greek island that has been devastated by wildfires is Daniel and Luna Rolfe from Glasgow.
In the past 24 hours, smaller evacuations have occurred in some areas of Corfu and Evia.
All day Monday, airlines are operating rescue flights out of Greece to bring people home.
The 25-year-old Mr. Rolfe claims Tui, the company that booked their vacation, assured them it was safe to travel; however, they were taken directly from the airport to an evacuation center.
He told BBC News that they later discovered that their lodging in Rhodes' Lindos neighborhood had been twice evacuated because of heavy smoke.
The couple, who spent almost £4,000 on their trip, wound up sharing a school with other UK families and sleeping on the floor.
It was crowded, he remarked. I'm not sure how many people were present. The rooms we passed along the way were all filled to capacity. ".
Eventually, the couple was able to secure an Airbnb for the night on Sunday, but they will have to vacate it on Monday due to its full availability.
"We've been in the dark and we're just figuring out what's best for ourselves, because nothing is really being done," the graphic designer said. ".
We've been thrown into a disaster movie, he continued. We're getting through it, but it's been very sad and difficult to see my wife upset. ".
On Monday, EasyJet and Jet2 both intend to send repatriation flights to Rhodes, while some Tui passengers flew back on three overnight flights.
To assist British tourists, the Foreign Office has dispatched employees and British Red Cross volunteers to the island. They'll be stationed at Rhodes International Airport where they can assist with travel paperwork and communicate with Greek government officials and tour operators.
As fires that have already destroyed homes spread from the island's center towards resorts on its eastern coast, some tourists were forced to leave hotels, leave their belongings, and sleep outside.
- Tui. operated three "dedicated flights" back from Rhodes over the course of the previous night. All flights to the island have been canceled through Friday, but passengers who are currently on the island will travel back home on their original flights. According to Tui, all passengers scheduled to fly on these flights will receive full refunds.
- EasyJet. announced that in addition to its nine regularly scheduled flights between Rhodes and the UK, it would operate two rescue flights with a combined capacity of 421 seats on Monday and a third on Tuesday. The airline has canceled all package trips to the affected Rhodes resorts through Saturday. Additionally, it is "contacting customers due to travel to the affected resorts in Rhodes up to 10 August to discuss their options.".
- Jet2. runs four return flights to Manchester, Leeds Bradford, and Birmingham, all of which are scheduled to depart tonight. All vacations and flights to Rhodes have been canceled, but flights with no passengers on board will still go there to transport people home.
- britain's airline. said that although its flights to Rhodes were operating normally, passengers who needed to change their flight early could do so for free and those who didn't want to go there in the coming week from the UK could postpone their flight.
- Thomson Travel. stated that it had canceled some vacations to the affected areas and offered full refunds. It also said that some passengers who had reservations for travel to other regions on Monday and Tuesday were contacted with the option to cancel and receive a refund if they so desired.
Greece has experienced searing heat in recent weeks, with average temperatures exceeding 40C (104F) and fires raging for almost a week in some places.
Since Tuesday, strong winds have been fanning fires in Rhodes, and as of now, about 19,000 people have been evacuated in what Greek authorities claim is their largest operation of this kind.
Corfu, which is located 1,027 kilometers (670 miles) away, has seen the evacuation of about 2,500 people, a fire department spokesman told the AFP news agency.
Although people were pulled from beaches by boats, officials told the BBC that the situation is not as dire as it was on Rhodes.
James Jones, who had just returned from Rhodes, claimed that he and his family abandoned their luggage at the airport after hotel staff told them to "get to the beach.".
He continued, "As you looked behind you it was coming over the mountains, the fire was just moving so fast, it was horrific. So they had to dump their luggage on the sand and wait for the coastguard to save them.".
They walked for two hours to get away from the fire and smoke, according to Emma Darwell-Stone, who was traveling with her young daughter Amelia.
The hotel was completely normal up until the point we were told to run to the beach, she continued, adding that there was no warning the fire was approaching. ".
The Greek tourism minister, Olga Kefalo O-Gianni, told the BBC that the situation on Corfu is "not alarming" and advised travelers to still travel if they intend to visit areas of Corfu or Rhodes that have not been affected by the wildfires.
The second-largest Greek island, Evia, is experiencing fires as well, and some areas are being evacuated, according to the state news agency ANA-MPA.
On Monday, there was supposed to be a national holiday in Greece.
The UK Foreign Office updated its travel advice for Greece on Sunday, advising people to "stay up to date with official advice" and to call 112 if they are in danger because "the situation can change quickly.".
They advise British nationals in Rhodes to speak with their travel agent about rescheduling flights as soon as possible.
Between 7,000 and 10,000 British tourists are currently on Rhodes, according to Foreign Office Minister Andrew Mitchell, and the government is constantly reviewing travel advice.
Although the cause of the fires is unknown, Greece's extremely high temperatures, dry weather, and strong winds have all contributed to their spread.
The head of tourism for the region, Chariton Koutscouris, stated that arson was suspected and that the fire department had received a warning that someone intended to purposefully start a fire.
He claimed that a "group of people" who "get pleasure out of this with the pain of the other people" were to blame for the fires.
While businesses are canceling package vacations, the majority of flights are still operating to allow people to travel to safe areas of the islands or to return home.
