'We are at war with fire' Fear and chaos on Rhodes

Greece undertook its largest evacuation effort in its history last Sunday, moving 19,000 people primarily tourists - from villages and resorts on the island of Rhodes as wildfires fanned by high-speed winds raged. 

- Helena Smith

Firefighters across the country were struggling to contain 82 wildfires, 64 of which started last Sunday, the hottest day of the summer so far.

With the aid of water-dropping planes, authorities were working around the clock to tame numerous fires. While the prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said it was clear the country was "at war with fire", efforts were being concentrated on dousing blazes on Evia, Corfu and Rhodes.

Warning that "difficult days" lay ahead with the prediction that temperatures would rise, the centre-right leader told the Greek parliament: "We find ourselves at war with fire."

As wind-whipped infernos raged for seven consecutive days across land parched by searing heat, authorities also stepped up evacuations, ordering people to leave hotels and homes.