Lancashire holidaymaker evacuated as 'scary' Kos wild fires rage
Diane Critchley described it as "frightening" to witness the wildfires in such close proximity.
A vacationer from the UK shared their experience of being involved in frightening wildfires during their trip in Greece.
Diane Critchley and her partner were told by the local authorities to leave their hotel on the island of Kos because of the nearby fires on Monday.
They were taken to a crowded football field with 5,000 evacuees, described as "terrible", with only two toilets and people getting sick.
Ms. Critchley, who is from Lancashire, was eventually able to return to her hotel after the fires were extinguished.
A soccer field where 5,000 people forced to leave their homes sought refuge while the fires burned.
She mentioned that a warning was given on Monday afternoon while she was at the pool, and they were instructed to evacuate four hours later.
Ms Critchley shared with BBC North West Tonight that she felt frightened when she witnessed the smoke rising from the hills near her hotel.
She continued: "The officials determined it was necessary for us to leave the hotel to ensure our safety.
We could have been stranded if we hadn't left the area and taken the coastal road.
The tourist said: "When we were heading to the football stadium, we crossed by the fires and could catch a whiff of the smoke when we reached the stadium."
It was really bad - totally awful at the football field.
The young children didn't have any blankets, and there were people getting sick near us.
Two ambulances were actually summoned while we were present.
Large fires on the island of Kos have forced thousands of people to leave their homes.
There were only two restrooms available for a crowd of 5,000, which created a challenging situation for attendees.
Ms. Critchley described the situation as chaotic, with some tourists being instructed to make their way to the airport on foot to catch their flights, while others were able to board buses.
However, she is eagerly anticipating the end of her vacation before returning to the UK on Saturday.
