Tourist hotspot Rhodes burns as successive deadly heat waves ravage Greece
Tourist hotspot Rhodes burns as successive deadly heat waves ravage Greece
A man watches the fire burning a forest in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Flames burn a forest in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A man wraps his shirt over his face as he tries to extinguish a fire, near the seaside resort of Lindos, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A helicopter operates over a wildfire burning in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Locals try to extinguish a wildfire burning in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
German tourists with local residents try to extinguish a fire, near the seaside resort of Lindos, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A wildfire burns in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Jaquelin Stocklein from Germany drops water to a burnt area during a wildfire near the seaside resort of Lindos, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Firefighters operate during a wildfire in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A resident tries to extinguish the flames at the yard of a house next to a burned car on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Locals pull tree branches as a wildfire burns in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
An aircraft drops water as firefighters operate during a wildfire in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Ilias Kyriakou, 25, pulls an olive branch as a wildfire burns in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A local runs to avoid the flames of a wildfire in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Beachgoers watch a helicopter filling water from the sea during a wildfire, near Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A local tries to avoid the water thrown by helicopter in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A burned prickly pear stands on a hill near Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A deer runs in a burnt forest in Asklipio village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Apples and water for the animals, left by locals lie in the burnt forest near Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
People play with a ball in front of a burnt forest at a beach of Glystra near Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A man watches the fire burning a forest in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A man watches the fire burning a forest in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Flames burn a forest in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Flames burn a forest in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A man wraps his shirt over his face as he tries to extinguish a fire, near the seaside resort of Lindos, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A man wraps his shirt over his face as he tries to extinguish a fire, near the seaside resort of Lindos, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A helicopter operates over a wildfire burning in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A helicopter operates over a wildfire burning in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Locals try to extinguish a wildfire burning in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Locals try to extinguish a wildfire burning in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
German tourists with local residents try to extinguish a fire, near the seaside resort of Lindos, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
German tourists with local residents try to extinguish a fire, near the seaside resort of Lindos, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A wildfire burns in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A wildfire burns in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Jaquelin Stocklein from Germany drops water to a burnt area during a wildfire near the seaside resort of Lindos, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Jaquelin Stocklein from Germany drops water to a burnt area during a wildfire near the seaside resort of Lindos, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Firefighters operate during a wildfire in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Firefighters operate during a wildfire in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A resident tries to extinguish the flames at the yard of a house next to a burned car on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A resident tries to extinguish the flames at the yard of a house next to a burned car on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Locals pull tree branches as a wildfire burns in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Locals pull tree branches as a wildfire burns in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
An aircraft drops water as firefighters operate during a wildfire in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
An aircraft drops water as firefighters operate during a wildfire in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Ilias Kyriakou, 25, pulls an olive branch as a wildfire burns in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Ilias Kyriakou, 25, pulls an olive branch as a wildfire burns in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A local runs to avoid the flames of a wildfire in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A local runs to avoid the flames of a wildfire in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Beachgoers watch a helicopter filling water from the sea during a wildfire, near Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Beachgoers watch a helicopter filling water from the sea during a wildfire, near Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A local tries to avoid the water thrown by helicopter in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A local tries to avoid the water thrown by helicopter in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A burned prickly pear stands on a hill near Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A burned prickly pear stands on a hill near Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A deer runs in a burnt forest in Asklipio village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A deer runs in a burnt forest in Asklipio village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Apples and water for the animals, left by locals lie in the burnt forest near Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Apples and water for the animals, left by locals lie in the burnt forest near Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
People play with a ball in front of a burnt forest at a beach of Glystra near Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
People play with a ball in front of a burnt forest at a beach of Glystra near Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
LINDOS, Greece (AP) — As tourists start to trickle back to the Greek island of Rhodes, some people are spending their vacation on empty beaches amongst charred trees and burnt land.
The fires, spurred by a sweltering heat wave that blanketed the country, triggered a huge evacuation of residents and tourists on the island last weekend as forests burned for a week.
As wildfires scorched the land, tourist and residents worked to extinguish fires by seaside resorts. By Friday, temperatures eased somewhat, and calmer winds helped firefighters contain the blazes.
But the damage was already done.
An inland nature reserve was damaged. The deserted island has been promised state support.
Fires have been raging across Greece, including outside the capital Athens and in Rhodes, fueled by three consecutive heat waves. Five people have died in the fires, including two firefighter pilots. Temperatures pushed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
Climate change is making the world hotter and is charged this year by the natural and cyclical El Nino event, which warms the Pacific. The Mediterranean – from Spain to Turkey to North Africa — has withered under record-breaking temperatures over the summer. July is the hottest month globally ever recorded, and it’s likely 2023 will be the hottest year.
___
Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.