A WOMAN whose family had to be evacuated from Rhodes after flames from the wildfires reached her hotel has shared her terrifying experience.
Narrisa Sketchley, 57, had been staying in Kiatori in Rhodes with her family when the wildfires that have been wreaking havoc in the area reached the hotel they were staying at. The family were on the final day of their holiday when things took a dramatic turn and they had to be evacuated from the area.
Narrisa told The Packet: “Where we were staying was in the mountains. We weren’t worried at all that it was near the hotel or anything. We were due to come home on the Saturday, and on Thursday or Friday we started getting white ash dropping on the hotel, and we wondered if it was getting closer.
“On Saturday morning, the wind had really picked up. We checked out of our room, and something was going on. We were in reception thinking ‘something’s not right.’ All of a sudden, we got an emergency alert from the government on our phones saying if you’re in Kiatori you need to evacuate. We thought ‘really? What’s happening?’ Nobody seemed to be moving or knowing what they wanted to do.
“We then tried to find our rep but they weren’t there, so we phoned the local rep and they said stay put as we were due to be picked up at 7pm. While we were waiting, we had another government warning. Then 20 minutes later it was just like go, go, go!
“We all ran out from the main entrance, looked to our left, and there were flames literally right around the side of the hotel. We had helicopters dropping water on the fires, but we just thought it was the smoke coming over the top of us. As we walked out there were flames on the outside, and we were told to just keep running, keep running to the beach. As we’d checked out, we had our luggage with us, and foolishly I suppose, we were dragging our luggage with us.
“We were crossing the beaches and every time we sat down they were just crying ‘go, go, go, don’t sit, don’t sit! The smoke was literally following us, big thick smoke with all the ash and everything in it. The wind was picking up and blowing the sand so we couldn’t see where we were running. We couldn’t breathe through the smoke.”
According to Narrisa, she and her family weren’t told where they were supposed to be running to, only that they should just keeping running.
Narrisa continued: “I think we ran for about three hours. There were children crying and people screaming. They’d brought boats in to try and get people out on their boats. Eventually we got to a little restaurant at the bottom of the cliff, they were giving out water and masks. We sat there for probably an hour asking what was going on but nobody knew.
“Eventually, somebody did say to us that if we climbed back up to the top of the main road, buses are going along trying to pick people up. So, we did, and eventually a bus did come along and it was a free-for-all of people trying to get on any bus they could. They took us to a hotel about 20 minutes away where we were given food and drink.
“By this time there was no electricity in the south of the island either, so we couldn’t charge phones, couldn’t get any WiFi. We sat there for about an hour and, eventually, a bus pulled up outside and my husband ran to it and asked whether they were going to the airport and they said yes.”
Narissa and her family got on the bus and managed to make the flight home they had booked, which had luckily been delayed.
“We didn’t realise how close it was. I tried to help people on route, but they kept saying don’t help, just keep going. There disabled people there, people who had breathing difficulties and couldn’t run. I was trying to help other people as best I could but trying to get out the way as well.
“I kept thinking ‘am I going to get out of this? How bad is it? We were struggling to breath. It was 42 degree heat, and with the fire it was even hotter. It was terrifying.”
Having got home, Narrisa also explained how the experience had affected her in the days following her return. She said: “I think adrenaline keeps you going for a few days, and then when that wore off, I became shaky and I couldn’t sleep for a couple of nights.”
If you or someone you know has been affected by the wildfires in Rhodes, you can share your story with us by emailing: ryan.morwood@newsquest.co.uk
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