Romanian firefighters rush to fight Rhodes wildfires as tourists evacuate

More than 50 Romanian firefighters arrived on the morning of July 24 on the island of Rhodes, an area affected by wildfires, while tourists, many of them Romanians, were evacuated.

"Romania's unit, consisting of 52 military personnel, is heading to the military base, where they will be accommodated and refill the firefighting vehicles that will operate in the fire-affected areas. Under the direct coordination of the Greek liaison officer, the Romanian firefighters will begin the mission of limiting the spread of fires in the affected areas of Rhodes alongside Greek and Slovak firefighters," Romanian authorities said Monday morning.

Later the same day, the Romanian firefighters already began their struggle to control the fires in Rhodes, according to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations IGSU.

Experts warn that Greece is likely to experience the longest heatwave episode in history.

Authorities on the Greek islands of Rhodes and Corfu have started to evacuate inhabitants and tourists as wildfires spread this weekend. Romania already has 130 firefighters in Greece, according to the head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, cited by B1tv.ro.

The Romanian Embassy in Athens has been contacted by several Romanians in the areas affected by fires on the island of Rhodes. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - MAE, between 25 and 30 Romanian citizens were in the evacuation area and were not in any danger. Local authorities have mobilized transportation means for the evacuation of residents and tourists from the fire-affected areas to safe locations on the mainland, following emergency plans, according to G4Media.ro.

Based on the information available so far, the wildfire situation has not required consular intervention by Romanian authorities. Nevertheless, the Romanian Embassy in Greece monitors the situation and is prepared to act.

Approximately 15% of Rhodes has been impacted by wildfires, forcing authorities to relocate tourists to the less affected northern areas of the island, according to