ATHENS, Greece -- Some 19,000 people have been evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes as wildfires burned for a sixth day on three fronts, Greek authorities said Sunday.
The Ministry of Climate Change and Civil Protection said it was "the largest evacuation from a wildfire in the country."
Local police said 16,000 people were evacuated by land and 3,000 by sea from 12 villages and several hotels. Six people were briefly treated at a hospital for respiratory problems. A person who fell and broke a leg during a hotel evacuation and a pregnant woman remained hospitalized, the latter in good condition, authorities said.
Package holiday companies TUI and Jet2 canceled flights to Rhodes. Jet2 said it was canceling five regularly scheduled passenger flights to the island on Sunday but would fly the planes to Rhodes empty to retrieve customers. TUI said it was canceling all its flights to the island until at least Tuesday.
British tourist Kevin Evans was evacuated twice on Saturday with his wife and three young children -- first from Kiotari to Gennadi, then as the fire approached the island's capital in the northeast, he told Britain's PA news agency.
"There were lots of people in Gennadi sent from the hotels -- many in just swimsuits having been told to leave everything in the hotel," he told PA. "As night fell, we could see the fire on the top of the hills in Kiotari. They said all the hotels were on fire."
Rhodes travel agent Stelios Kotiadis confirmed to The Associated Press that the evacuation was hasty. "There was panic. ... The authorities were overwhelmed," he said.
But, he said, the abandoned hotels "are in much better condition than reported in social media. ... They will be ready to reopen very soon if Civil Protection gives the go-ahead."
Kotiadis said he and other travel agents sent buses to the island's southeast to pick up evacuated tourists. They had to go the long way around, since the road running down Rhodes' eastern side was blocked in places.
"There were 80-90 people cramming into 50-seater buses," he said. He added that 90% of the evacuated tourists are from European countries.
The British ambassador to Greece, Matthew Lodge, said the U.K. government was sending a rapid deployment team to support British nationals on Rhodes.
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs said personnel were on their way to Rhodes to set up a help desk at Rhodes International Airport for visitors who have lost their travel documents.
Fire Brigade spokesman Yannis Artopios said that as of early Sunday afternoon, 266 firefighters and 49 engines were operating on the ground, together with hundreds of volunteers. Ten firefighting planes, including two from France, two from Turkey and one from Croatia, are operating in the area, as well as eight helicopters.
There are substantial reinforcements from the European Union.
"Over 450 firefighters and seven airplanes from the EU have been operating in Greece as fires sprout across the country," EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic tweeted early Sunday afternoon.
In the mountainous part of Rhodes, an active front of the wildfire, firefighters have been trying to stop the blaze from spreading to nearby dense forests.
Southwest of the resort of Kiotari, the main focus of Saturday's evacuations, a trench was being dug to keep the fire from crossing a creek and threatening the village of Gennadi.
The weather remained hot in the Mediterranean country on Sunday. Before midday, temperatures had already reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Winds were low but are notoriously variable in Rhodes, as in other Greek islands.
Information for this article was contributed by Jill Lawless and Cinar Kiper of The Associated Press.
A firefighting helicopter flies over a beach during a forest fire on the island of Rhodes, Greece, Saturday, July 22, 2023. A large wildfire burning on the Greek island of Rhodes for a fifth day has forced authorities to order an evacuation of four locations, including two seaside resorts. (Argyris Mantikos/Eurokinissi via AP)
Evacuees wait to board on buses as they leave their hotel during a forest fire on the island of Rhodes, Greece, Sunday, July 23, 2023. Some 19,000 people have been evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes as wildfires continued burning for a sixth day on three fronts, Greek authorities said on Sunday. (Argyris Mantikos/Eurokinissi via AP)
A man carries a child as they leave an area where a forest fire burns, on the island of Rhodes, Greece, Saturday, July 22, 2023. A large wildfire burning on the Greek island of Rhodes for a fifth day has forced authorities to order an evacuation of four locations, including two seaside resorts. (Lefteris Diamanidis/InTime News via AP)
Evacuees wait to board buses as they leave their hotel during a forest fire on the island of Rhodes, Greece, Sunday, July 23, 2023. Some 19,000 people have been evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes as wildfires continued burning for a sixth day on three fronts, Greek authorities said on Sunday. (Argyris Mantikos/Eurokinissi via AP)
Tourists sit inside a stadium following their evacuation during a forest fire, on the island of Rhodes, Greece, Sunday, July 23, 2023. Some 19,000 people have been evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes as wildfires continued burning for a sixth day on three fronts, Greek authorities said on Sunday. (Lefteris Diamanidis/InTime News via AP)
Tourists sunbathe outside a stadium where they are hosted following their evacuation during a forest fire, on the island of Rhodes, Greece, Sunday, July 23, 2023. Some 19,000 people have been evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes as wildfires continued burning for a sixth day on three fronts, Greek authorities said on Sunday. (Lefteris Diamanidis/InTime News via AP)
A fire-fighting vehicle makes its way through burnt trees during a forest fire, on the island of Rhodes, Greece, Sunday, July 23, 2023. Greek authorities say some 19,000 people have been evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes as wildfires continue burning for a sixth day on three fronts. (Lefteris Diamanidis/InTime News via AP)
A youth enjoys a water slide at a water park of Spata town, east of Athens, Greece, Sunday, July 23, 2023. Heat in Greece is expected to grow worse during the weekend, approaching 44 Celsius (111 Fahrenheit) and the country will face one more heatwave episode by the end of July. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
The gutted remains of cars lie on a road after a forest fire, on the island of Rhodes, Greece, Sunday, July 23, 2023. Some 19,000 people have been evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes as wildfires continued burning for a sixth day on three fronts, Greek authorities said on Sunday. (Lefteris Diamanidis/InTime News via AP)