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ATHENS, GREECE - Homes and hotels have been evacuated on the Greek island of Rhodes, forcing at least 30,000 people to flee to safe areas that have been set up across the Greek island. The evacuation is the biggest in living memory here. As firefighters battle to bring raging wildfires under control, investigators say they are holding several suspected arsonists they believe set the wildfires and the ensuing calamity.
What started off as a relaxing holiday quickly turned into an apocalyptic nightmare for thousands of tourists on the Greek island of Rhodes.
Fanned by gale-force winds, ferocious flames that raged in the wooded heartland of the island for most of last week, suddenly shifted to the island's southeast rim, burning at least three hotels and sending vacationers onto the streets, many of whom with just their swimsuits and flip flops.
So far, authorities have helped clear out more the 30,000 people, but with the fires still out of control for a sixth day, temperatures searing at 45 degrees Celsius and strong winds battering the ferocious flames from one direction to another, fears loom of more blazes to come.
Evacuation orders spread overnight and more were issued Sunday.
Firefighters are focusing on extinguishing or at least containing four major fronts to prevent them from spread to other tourist hubs. Such an outcome would spell disaster for Rhodes, among Greece's most popular tourist destinations and a favorite among British and American travelers.
Since the massive evacuation commenced, tourists have been escorted from the island's south to the north.
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British tourist Ian Murishon describes the ordeal he and his family faced - left alone to walk for six hours only to find more chaos.
"Thousands moved on to the beach, "he said. "It was impossible to get onto coaches. These people just ran and it was literally like the end of the world. Flames suddenly became more visible, leaping to the sky."
Murishon said his wife became increasingly stressed, with panic overcoming fellow tourists as time went by.
"When they said women and children only in the buses and I kissed them goodbye, my wife thought it was the last time she would see me."
Fleeing travelers have since then sought refuge wherever available - at basketball stadiums, conference halls, schools, even private homes locals opened to help them.
The causes of the fire remain unclear but authorities say they have rounded up several suspects they believe may have been implicated in the fires. Local media have reported testimony of locals incriminating a band of men who sped off on motorbikes from the site of the first fire.
They said the crackling sounds of grenade explosions sounded minutes before the first fire emerged in the heart of Rhodes.
Police investigators told VOA no arrests had been made. Still, they said they were "closing in" as they put it, on the potential suspects.