Greece fires: Thousands flee homes and hotels on Rhodes as fires spread

Thousands of people have been evacuated from homes and hotels on the Greek island of Rhodes, according to local authorities.

Private boats have joined the Greek coastguard in helping to pick up people from beaches on the east of the island.

Greek navy vessels are also reported to be heading to the area, which is popular with tourists.

Greece's deputy fire chief said the fires on Rhodes are the most difficult his service is currently facing.

Five helicopters and 173 firefighters are operating in the area, with two hotels in the Kiotari area reported to have been damaged by fire.

Greece is facing more intense heat this weekend, with meteorologists warning that temperatures could climb as high as 45C (113F).

It could turn into Greece's hottest July weekend in 50 years, one of the country's top meteorologists has said.

Firefighters are continuing to battle dozens of wildfires across the country. An area west of Athens is among the worst-hit areas, along with Laconia in the southern Peloponnese and the island of Rhodes.

And authorities are warning of a very high risk of new blazes as the heat continues to rise.

People have been advised to stay home, and tourist sites - including Athens' ancient Acropolis - will be shut during the hottest parts of the next two days.

Greece's EU partners have provided help, including firefighting planes from France and Italy and more than 200 firefighters from Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. Neighbouring Turkey is also sending some aircraft to help.

Greece - like a number of other European countries - saw a prolonged spell of extreme heat earlier this month.

The latest heatwave comes at one of the busiest times for the country's tourism industry.