A couple have shared their holiday horror after being forced to evacuate from their hotel overnight due to blazing fires – and claim the travel company “laughed” at their misfortune with no “plan in place” to assist them.
Mark Ellis, 50, and his wife, Donna Ellis, 46, were shocked to find themselves caught in the devastating extreme weather situation in Rhodes, Greece.
According to reports, 19,000 people have been evacuated so far in the surrounding villages and hotels over the past five days.
The couple, from Devon, arrived on the island on 18 July 2023 and booked a package trip through Jet2, reportedly costing just under £2,000.
While they were aware of rising temperatures, they had no concerns – until the evening of 29 July, when they saw flames in the distance.
“We had just been out for a meal and a couple of drinks, before going back to the apartment to get some rest – and then we heard a loud alert on our phones,” the construction worker told NeedToKnow.co.uk.
“It was telling us to evacuate the resort and get to the main road in Pefkos, where a bus would pick us up.
“All of this was from the Greek Government and as we stepped outside, we saw the flames in the mountains.
“I wasn’t overly panicked and got to the reception to speak with the manager, who said there wasn’t anything to really worry about as it was so far away.
“But we made the decision to pack up our things and head to the main road and wait, where we joined hundreds and hundreds of other stranded tourists.”
Mark and Donna claim the alerts weren’t for the wildfire but more so for smoke inhalation, and in a bid to keep themselves safe, they boarded the bus.
However, they allege that tensions quickly started to rise as none of the tourism companies had reportedly been in contact with any of the displaced holidaymakers.
He claims: “Lots of people were in disbelief and others were so angry against the tourism companies, as there were no reps to be seen.
“Everyone was sent to different locations, but we ended up in a local primary school, which was awful.
“However, locals in the area started coming in and they were fantastic.
“They offered bottles of water, sanitary products for women and made us meals – it was amazing.
“Still, nobody knew what was going on, whether they had to go to the airport or if they were going to be stuck there for days, it was absolutely crazy.”
Mark claims they received an alert the next morning stating that it was safe to return to the resort, which was confirmed by the hotel manager.
Since then, they’ve had a phone call from Jet2 on 23 July to check on their wellbeing, but the couple allege that the representative “laughed” at them and told them there was no “plan in place” due to the events being unprecedented.
Now, they’re making the most of their holiday, but say that ash and smoke can still be seen in the distance, as well as contained flames.
Mark added: “I was really looking forward to this trip, as it was for my birthday, but the treatment from the tourism companies has been shocking.
“A lot of people panicked and I heard around 45,000 people were left stranded at the airport waiting for a flight home.
“It’s very quiet out, as so many people have left and nobody else is being flown in, but we’re all safe.
“Everyone is checking in on each other, which is brilliant.
“I’m having to wipe ash off my clothes while we’re sitting on the beach, but I’m glad we’re finally able to enjoy our holiday.”
