There is no active wildfire or evacuation order on Rhodes as of 7 August 2026. Rhodes International Airport is running its normal schedule.
If you are holding a booking to Rhodes, here is exactly what is (and isn’t) happening on the island right now, which resort areas are affected, and what to do if conditions change before you travel.
- No active wildfire or evacuation order is in effect on Rhodes as of 7 August 2026.
- Rhodes International Airport (RHO) is operating on its normal schedule, with very low delays.
- Rhodes has had three minor, same-day-contained 2026 fire incidents (4 July, 5 July) plus a precautionary Category 4 “very high” fire-risk alert on 23 July — none reached the scale of an emergency.
- Fire activity intensified sharply elsewhere in Greece through late July and early August, including a helicopter collision on 2 August that brought the national wildfire-related death toll to five — but none of it has reached Rhodes, which has held at the lower Category 3 “high” risk level throughout.
- Greece’s overall fire-risk picture began easing on 6 August, the first downgrade since late July, while neither the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) nor the US State Department advises against travel to Greece; the FCDO advice was last updated 14 July 2026 and is confirmed still current as of 7 August 2026.
Current wildfire status on Rhodes (as of 7 August 2026)
Rhodes has no active wildfire and no evacuation order in place right now, re-confirmed as of 7 August 2026. The island’s only three 2026 incidents on record remain two small, same-day-contained fires on 4 and 5 July and a precautionary fire-risk alert on 23 July, none of which reached the scale of an emergency.
Rhodes is also notably absent from the extended list of Greek islands that have had fire activity since late July, which includes:
- Kefalonia (forced evacuations, 2-3 August)
- Paros (contained 30 July)
- Kalymnos (roughly 100km north of Rhodes; conditions have since eased)
- Andros, Naxos, Lesvos and Chios
- Skyros (new fire front, 7 August)
The Dodecanese, the island group that includes Rhodes, has remained at Category 3 (“high”) fire risk since easing back from the 23 July Category 4 alert, and Civil Protection’s forecast maps still placed it at Category 3 for the 5-7 August period. That is a notch below the Category 4 (“very high”) warnings that hit Attica, Evia, Chios and Lesvos in early August, though even those began easing on 6 August, when Attica and Evia were downgraded back to Category 3 for the first time since late July.
Greece’s wildfire crisis deepened through the final days of July and into early August 2026, before its first signs of easing on 6 August.
- Three firefighters died on 29 July — two near Krya Vrysi in the Rethymno area of Crete, and one near Gytheio in Laconia — and a state of emergency was declared for the Agios Vasileios municipality in Rethymno.
- A major wildfire broke out around Porto Germeno and Psatha, west of Athens, on 31 July, burning more than 10,000 hectares over roughly five days and prompting sea evacuations.
- Two firefighting helicopter crew were killed when their aircraft collided while battling the Attica fire on 2 August, bringing the national wildfire-related death toll to five.
- New fire fronts broke out on Skyros, in Thessaly near Farsala, in western Greece near Agrinio, and near Siteia in Crete as of 7 August, keeping firefighting crews stretched even as other communities began recovering.
Rhodes itself has not featured in any of this national picture beyond the three dated events in the timeline below — for the country-wide situation, see Wego’s Greece Wildfires 2026 guide.
Rhodes wildfire timeline 2026
The timeline below lists every dated Rhodes fire event we could verify from an official or wire-service source, plus a 2023 status re-check, plus the 2023 wildfire for historical context. Each row is dated and sourced separately — none of these figures are combined across events.
A small scrubland fire was reported and contained the same day. No residences or infrastructure were threatened.
A small fire near the coast was contained the same day. No residences or infrastructure were threatened.
Civil Protection issued a red-code, Category 4 “very high” fire-risk warning for Rhodes and the wider South Aegean, driven by heat and strong northerly “livas” winds. No fire materialised from the alert.
No active wildfire or evacuation order on Rhodes; Dodecanese fire risk eased to Category 3, even as Greece’s national picture worsened elsewhere.
Still no active wildfire or evacuation order on Rhodes and the Dodecanese remains at Category 3, even as Attica and Evia were downgraded from Category 4 to Category 3 nationally for the first time since late July. Rhodes has not appeared among the islands with fire activity since late July (Kefalonia, Paros, Kalymnos, Andros, Naxos, Lesvos, Chios, Skyros).
The 2023 Rhodes wildfire began, eventually forcing about 19,000 people to evacuate the south-central interior. This is the event most people mean when they search for “Rhodes wildfire.”
Greece’s Tourism Ministry announced the state of emergency had ended. Affected villages have since rebuilt and reopened to visitors.
Which parts of Rhodes have been affected?
None of the island’s main resort areas are affected by any current incident, confirmed as of 7 August 2026. The three 2026 events above included two in the interior and one small, same-day-contained fire near the coast at Koskinou/Kallithea — none affected a main resort town.
- Faliraki, Ialysos and Rhodes Town: unaffected, normal operations.
- Lindos: received a precautionary evacuation order in 2023 and saw a small brush fire put out on the spot; the Lindos Acropolis itself was never threatened. Unaffected by any 2026 incident.
- Kiotari, Lardos, Gennadi and Pefki: south-central interior villages also evacuated in 2023; not affected by any 2026 incident.
- Ataviros area (west-central interior): site of the small, contained 4 July 2026 scrubland fire.
- Koskinou / Kallithea Springs (east coast): site of a small, same-day-contained 5 July 2026 fire; no residences or infrastructure were threatened.
Conditions on a Greek island can change quickly during a hot, windy summer. Register for local emergency alerts and check the Civil Protection risk map before you travel or head into rural areas.
Is Rhodes International Airport open?
Rhodes International Airport, known as Diagoras (IATA: RHO), is operating normally, confirmed via the airport’s own site on 7 August 2026. The airport’s own live flight-status data reports standard schedules and very low delays.
Its main current travel note is longer queues at border control linked to the EU’s Entry/Exit System, which has been rolling out at European borders since 10 April 2026, rather than anything fire-related.
Check your airline’s status page directly before you fly, since schedules can still shift at short notice for reasons unrelated to wildfires, such as weather or air traffic.
What happened in the 2023 Rhodes wildfires?
The 2023 Rhodes wildfire, which started on 18 July 2023, is the event most people mean when they search for “Rhodes wildfire” — it is not happening again in 2026. It burned through the south-central interior and forced about 19,000 people to evacuate, one of the largest wildfire evacuations recorded in the country.
Rhodes Town, Faliraki and the Lindos Acropolis were untouched and stayed open throughout — see the areas breakdown above for village-level detail. Greece’s Tourism Ministry announced the state of emergency had ended on 31 July 2023, and the affected villages have since rebuilt and reopened to visitors.
Government travel advice for Greece
Neither the UK nor the US currently advises against travel to Greece; the US State Department rates Greece Level 1, “exercise normal precautions,” its lowest advisory tier. The UK FCDO, in its advice last updated 14 July 2026 and confirmed still current as of 7 August 2026, flags a general high wildfire risk across Greece from April to October but does not single out Rhodes or recommend against visiting.
Greece’s own 112 emergency system lets you register your phone for local alerts, and the same number covers any fire, police or medical emergency.
What to do if you have a Rhodes booking
Follow these steps if you are worried about a fire risk affecting your trip.
- Check the current status first: use the timeline above and Greece’s Civil Protection site before assuming anything is wrong.
- Register for alerts: make sure your phone can receive Greece’s 112 emergency notifications while on the island.
- Contact your airline and hotel directly if a specific area is under an active alert, rather than cancelling on the basis of general news coverage.
- Review your travel insurance for what it covers if a named wildfire disrupts your specific booking, since cover usually does not apply to a general seasonal risk.
- If arriving by ferry from Piraeus or another Dodecanese island, confirm your sailing directly with the ferry operator, since routes can occasionally be adjusted at short notice on high fire-risk days.
Planning your Rhodes trip
With no active wildfire on the island, Rhodes remains open for business as usual this summer. Compare flights to Rhodes and hotels in Rhodes on Wego, or browse wider flights to Greece if you’re weighing up other islands too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an active wildfire on Rhodes right now?
No. As of 7 August 2026 there is no active wildfire or evacuation order anywhere on Rhodes.
Is Rhodes International Airport operating normally?
Yes. Diagoras Airport (RHO) is running its normal schedule with very low delays, confirmed 7 August 2026. Its main current travel note is longer EU Entry/Exit System border queues, not anything fire-related.
What fire risk category is Rhodes at?
The Dodecanese, which includes Rhodes, is at Category 3 (“high”) fire risk as of early August 2026. That is one notch below the Category 4 (“very high”) level seen in parts of mainland Greece and a few other islands.
Which Rhodes resort areas would be affected if there was a fire?
None currently are. Faliraki, Ialysos, Rhodes Town and Lindos are all unaffected and operating normally as of 7 August 2026.
Do the UK and US advise against travel to Greece or Rhodes?
No. The US State Department rates Greece Level 1 (“exercise normal precautions”), and the UK FCDO does not advise against travel, though it flags a general wildfire risk across Greece from April to October.
Sources
- Anadolu Agency — Greece wildfire coverage
- Greek City Times — Kalymnos fire, 23 July 2026
- SKAI News — national fire-risk bulletins
- ERT News — national fire-risk bulletins
- ProtoThema English — Rhodes Category 4 red-code alert, 22-23 July 2026
- Dimokratiki tis Rodou — local Rhodes reporting
- Dimokratiki tis Rodou — local Rhodes reporting (follow-up)
- The Watchers — global wildfire tracking
- Greece Moments — “Fires in Greece 2026: 7 important facts,” verified 7 August 2026
- Current Wildfires / NASA FIRMS — satellite hotspot data
- Rhodes Airport official site — flight status and EES notice, verified 7 August 2026
- UK Government Greece travel advice — verified 7 August 2026, last updated 14 July 2026
- US State Department Greece advisory — Level 1, verified 7 August 2026
- NBC News — 2023 Rhodes wildfire coverage
- Global News / AP — 2023 Rhodes wildfire coverage
- Euronews — 2023 Rhodes wildfire coverage
- Hellenic Civil Protection — national fire-risk map
- Neos Kosmos — “Greece battles new fires as scale of summer devastation emerges,” 7 August 2026
- Wego Greece Wildfires 2026 guide
Disclaimer: We’ve worked hard to make sure the information in this article is as accurate and up to date as possible at the time of publishing. Travel details such as prices, schedules, visa rules, and entry requirements can change at short notice, so it remains your responsibility to verify the current details with official sources before you book or travel. Wego accepts no liability for any loss or inconvenience arising from the use of this content.
