A JERSEY family staying in Rhodes have praised the ‘amazing’ help they received after being evacuated from their hotel following devastating wildfires which have ravaged the Greek island.
Lucy and Nick Le Boutillier said they were ‘relieved’ to be safe and hoped they would be able to get home soon.
The couple were a week into their break with daughters Lacey (16) and Tilly (12) when they were forced to leave their hotel as fires swept the central part of the Island.
A total of around 19,000 people were evacuated as a result of the fires in Rhodes, while Greek authorities were also dealing with other fires on the islands of Corfu and Evia as temperatures climbed beyond 40°C.
The family initially set off from their hotel on foot in a bid to reach safety before being picked up by an army truck and taken to a hotel away from the affected area, which was used as temporary accommodation for around 2,000 holidaymakers.
Mrs Le Boutillier said the family had subsequently been relocated by coach to the north of the island, near to the Diagoras International Airport, passing close to the hotel from which they had fled the day before.
She said: ‘We initially thought we would be travelling around the coast, but then realised we were passing inland and went past the hotel – the fire had come within a hundred metres, so it was definitely the right thing to have left.’
Having reached the school in the north of the island, the family received help from local residents, as well as a Jerseyman, Richie Peters, who was connected to them via social media.
‘The locals have been amazing, they have been at the school at all hours of the day helping to provide food and drink, and they just hope that people will come back to Rhodes in the future,’ Mrs Le Boutillier said.
‘We were connected to Richie by a mutual acquaintance and he drove across with food and lilos for sleeping on – we are so grateful for all the help.’
Tour operator Tui has been seeking to repatriate holidaymakers by air, with Mrs Le Boutillier saying that she hoped the family may be able to travel back to the UK on their original flight on Tuesday evening.
‘We haven’t got our luggage yet, but we aren’t really fussed about that, we are just relieved to be safe and hope we can get home,’ she said.
Jersey’s government has confirmed that its officials are engaging with UK colleagues regarding provision of appropriate assistance to Islanders in line with that made available to other British nationals.
