Greece fires latest: Thousands flee Rhodes and Corfu as Sicily airport now forced to close

National Express, which runs coach services from Britain’s top airports, is offering free travel for holidaymakers repatriated from Rhodes to a different airport than they flew out from. They can go back to their original airport or to a different location of their choice within the UK. They need to supply proof of their original flight and airport, and the boarding pass of the flight they have taken.

The managing director of National Express Coach, Chris Hardy, said: “We’ve all seen the horrifying experiences people have had in the Greek wildfires on the news. This is the least we can do to help them get back home.”

Passengers with existing bookings who arrive back on a different day will be able to change without fuss.

Pictures of a fire “reaching the perimeter” of Palermo Airport in Sicily have been posted on social media.

The airport in the Sicilian capital would remain shut until 9am (GMT), its operator said on Twitter, as firefighters were working to put out a major blaze in a nearby area that also disrupted local road and rail traffic.

It posted on Twitter: “A fire that developed above Cinisi due to the Scirocco wind reached the perimeter of the airport.”

In some parts of eastern Sicily, temperatures rose to 47.6 Celsius (117.7 Fahrenheit) on Monday, close to a record European high of 48.8 Celsius recorded on the island two years ago.

Satellite images capture wildfires burning across the island of Rhodes.

Maxar Technologies shared the striking images on Twitter on Monday evening (24 July), which show how the blaze has charred parts of the Greek island, burning down homes, cars and livestock.

Planet Labs also published photos of smoke rising from Evia.

More evacuations have been ordered after the Rhodes wildfire tore past defences due to strong winds, leaving holidaymakers and local residents scrambling to safety.

At least 19,000 people, mostly tourists, were moved in buses and boats as the fire reached resorts on the southeastern coast of the island.

A man waiting to board a plane at London Gatwick is among the British tourists still flying out to Rhodes despite the wildfires raging through the Greek island.

Richard Hamilton, of Guernsey, 54, told The Independent at the airport that his family has already been in Kalithea, which is in the north of the island, for three days, but he said the blazes have not yet spread that far from the middle and the south of Rhodes.

Mr Hamilton, a company director, is planning on an eight-day holiday there and said: “We’ve been really careful – we’ve got a close friend who’s kept an eye on it for us, so we’re not too concerned at all.”

Arsonists are being blamed for devastating wildfires that have swept through the Greek island of Corfu.

Corfu mayor Yorgos Mahimaris said yesterday that an arsonist seemingly started the fires which sparked mass evacuations on Sunday as firefighters battled to control them.

Mr Mahimaris came to the conclusion after visiting three locations where fires broke out on Mount Pantokratoras.

Oliver Pritchard-Jones reports:

Michael Gove is going to Evia in a week despite Greek authorities evacuating parts of the island.

The housing secretary is visiting the island, off the eastern coast of mainland Greece, after it became caught up in the “nightmare” wildfires engulfing the country.

Mr Gove told Sky News: “I am planning to go to Greece in just over a week’s time.” He added that he was visiting Evia.

Asked whether he was worried about the raging fires, Mr Gove said: “No, I am not.

“I want to make sure that as a government that we do everything possible to support Greece and indeed our tourists.”