Greece at war with forest fires, warns PM. Flames rage in Corfu and Rhodes.

The Greek prime minister has warned that the country is "in a state of war" as wildfires sparked by a record heatwave continue to ravage the resort islands of Rhodes and Crete, leading to the evacuation of thousands of tourists and locals.

"We are in a state of war - fully focused on fighting the fires," Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during a debate in parliament on Monday. "We must remain constantly on guard in the coming days and weeks.

His comments came as fires in Greece spread to the island of Corfu, where dozens of people were evacuated from a beach as devastating blazes engulfed the island.

Korfu has become the second Greek island to undergo a major evacuation due to wildfires after more than 19,000 vacationers were rescued from Rhodes over the weekend.

The evacuation of people from Nissaki beach in Corfu began Sunday evening due to the spread of fires, the Greek coastguard said on Twitter. Fifty-nine people were rescued from the beach and taken to the port of Corfu. Late Sunday night and early Monday, more than 600 holidaymakers were moved from hotels in Corfu to the municipal theater in the port of Corfu, Greek press reported. None of them were hurt. More than 2,000 people in Corfu, including tourists, have been evacuated to safety, it was reported on Monday.

People in 17 areas of the island - popular with British tourists - were advised to leave their homes on Sunday night due to the spread of fires. Residents of Santa, Megula, Porta, Palia Peritia and Sines were told to leave their homes and evacuate to Kassiopi. An hour later, there was an order that vacationers in Viglaturi and Nisaki should evacuate to Barbati. Tourists in Roux, Katavolo, Kentroma, Tritzi, Kokokila, Sarakiniatica, Plagia, Kalami, Vlahatica and Kavalerena were instructed to move to Ipsos. Photos of a large fire on a hill above Ipsos, which is on the northern part of the island, have been posted on social media. Separate footage showed a mountain engulfed in flames near the town of Kassiopi. One vacationer reported that the fires in northern Corfu are "growing with speed".

At the same time, on the island of Rhodes, the Greek Ministry of Climate Change and Civil Protection carried out what they called "the largest evacuation due to a forest fire" in the country's history.

The first flights to evacuate British tourists stranded in fiery Rhodes were due to arrive on Monday. The easyJet airline plans to operate two rescue flights on Monday and a third on Tuesday, with a total of 421 seats on all three flights. It is also keeping its nine scheduled flights to the Greek island. However, Tui has suspended its flights to Rhodes until Tuesday and Jet2 Holidays has canceled its trips until next Sunday. Some flights from Rhodes were delayed on Sunday evening, including an easyJet flight that was due to arrive at Gatwick at 21:00 and landed at 23:30 after stopping for a crew change inMilan. Other easyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair flights from Rhodes were scheduled to arrive at Gatwick, Stansted and Bristol on Monday afternoon.

At the same time, a UK government spokesman said five Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office staff and four British Red Cross representatives had been sent to Rhodes as part of a rapid deployment team. The team will be based at Rhodes International Airport to assist with paperwork and liaise with Greek authorities and tour operators on the ground.

On Sunday, Tui suspended its flights to Rhodes until Tuesday, while Jet2 Holidays canceled its trips until next Sunday. However, easyJet continues its regular operation alongside budget airline Ryanair, which has drawn criticism from consumers. An easyJet spokeswoman said the company was doing its best to help customers in Rhodes and invited those who were planning to travel to the island before Saturday to change their dates for free.