Are Santorini and Mykonos safe from fires? Travel advice for Kos, Zante and Crete
MANY tourists will be wondering which regions of Greece are safe to travel to amid the ongoing wildfires that have hit the country.
The fires, which began after Greece was hit by an extended spell of extreme heat, have caused catastrophic damage across holiday hotspots and seen thousands of locals and tourists forced to flee.
Is it safe to travel to Santorini?
Different areas of Greece have been zoned according to the fire risk there, ranging from low to extreme.
Santorini is not, at the time of writing, at very high risk and travel to and from the island is continuing.
The UK Government website notes that "no travel can be guaranteed safe" and urges British nationals to check with their travel operator or hotel prior to travel.
Tourists are also advised to follow the advice of local authorities at all times.
Is Mykonos safe to travel to?
Mykonos has not, at the time of writing, been deemed a high risk for wildfires.
Similarly, no wildfires have been reported on the popular party islands Zante and Kos.
Zante is, however, in the Ionian islands, which have been upgraded to a very high risk of wildfire.
There are no travel restrictions to the island but tourists should be aware of the fire risks and keep in contact with their holiday providers.
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The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for Brits, advising those affected by wildfires in Rhodes near Kiotari, Pefkoi, Lindos and the surrounding area to follow the guidance from the emergency services.
The Foreign Office added: ''If you are planning to travel to Rhodes, please check with your travel operator or hotel prior to travel that the area you plan to visit is not impacted by the current wildfires.
“The situation can change quickly, so you should stay up to date with official advice, follow 112 Greece on Twitter for official updates (you may need to translate the tweets to English).
"Ensure emergency alerts are enabled on your phone to receive SMS updates from the Greek Civil Protection.”
The Greek government has also established a Crisis Management Unit to respond to the situation in Rhodes.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged tourists to remain in touch with tour operators before travelling.
"The safety of British Nationals is our top priority. I encourage those in Rhodes, and those with family and friends there, to continue checking FCDO travel advice for updates," Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.
Where are the fires in Greece?
Rhodes and Corfu have been severely impacted by fires.
At least 19,000 locals and tourists were evacuated in Rhodes, while on the Island of Corfu nearly 2,500 locals and tourists were rescued overnight, according to the fire department.
On Corfu, people in the areas of Santa, Megoula, Porta, Palia, Perithia and Sinies were urged to leave following an SOS alert.
Meanwhile, holidaymakers in Crete have been warned of an "extreme fire risk" after a "Level 5" alert was issued.
Areas named as at risk are the holiday hotspot areas of Rethymnon, Heraklion, and Lasithi.
The Greek government has also issued a Category 4 "very high fire risk" warning for many other parts of the nation.
The regions of Attica, north and south Aegean, Thessaly, Peloponnese, Chania in Crete, central and western Greece, and the Ionian islands are included in those at "very high risk".
Wildfires have also been reported elsewhere in Europe, with Palermo airport in Sicily, Italy forced to close after fires burned dangerously close to its runways.
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The fires began in the early hours of July 25 after there was a sustained period of heatwave conditions in the region.
Spain, Switzerland and Turkey have all also suffered blazes as temperatures have soared over the summer.